Sayo and Ieyasu: Killers of Fate
by Osoji Nosferatu
Summary: No one can stop the interminable hands of time. As it marches on towards Sayo and Ieyasu's fate, they can only wonder if where they are now was destined to be. With an unforeseen enemy, can they keep the darkness of their fate behind them? They have a choice: eliminate their fate or let fate eliminate them. DISCONTINUED
1. Mysteries Unsolved

_**Author's note: Death is inevitable... even the jury of death will be killed. **_

_**Hi there! Thanks for viewing my Akame ga Kill fic. I'll get right to it. In an alternate universe, where Sayo and Ieyasu who died in the anime, miraculously survive and fight crime in the Capital. However, they encounter Night Raid and its newest member. Will Tatsumi side with his lifelong friends and leave Night Raid, possibly making Najenda (Boss-su), Mine, Lubbock, Leone (Sis), and even Akame his enemies? Or will Tatsumi sway his friends into seeing his vision of the Capital? Eventually, regardless of what side Ieyasu and Sayo choose, they will be equipped with an Imperial Arm of great power. (SPOILERS ARE BELOW: DON'T READ IF THE ANIME HASN'T GOTTEN EMOTIONAL FOR YOU YET.)**_

_**This story takes place right after the deaths of Sheele and Bulat, and from there, I'll make everything up. However, as the anime continues, I may make the same names appear, only with a different role. Tatsumi will still wield Incuriso, but I may make a small modification to Lubbock's Imperial Arm, since the anime revealed he's weak to groups. Sayo and Ieyasu will not acquire Extase; Mine set it on display for none to touch. Ultimately, this story is about the growth and development of Sayo and Ieyasu, since they're great characters but we know little about them. So without any further sidetracking, I hope you enjoy my story: **_Sayo and Ieyasu: Killers of Fate.

Two cloaked figures taking refuge in the shadows crept through the alleyway, silently approaching four beings exchanging hushed words. Their battle axes gleamed in the moonlight, emitting an aura of toughness around them. The presumed leader of the group reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash and placed it into another person's hand. The cloaked figures could see the person smiling broadly, then before anyone could react, he yanked out a pistol and shot the man who handed him the money right in the stomach. The leader staggered backwards a few paces, clutching his gastric area in agony.

The figures nodded at each other, drew their weapons and ran towards the group. The man wielded a double-handed silver axe with an inverted, curved blade. The woman ran slightly slower, for she was priming a bow with three arrows drawn back. The man screamed "For our…"

The woman finished the line as she shot all three arrows simultaneously. "... Fallen one!" The leader, the man Ieyasu targeted, exploded into three pieces. Blood stained his silver axe, and he sighed in disappointment. "I thought this metal was blood-resistant… stupid blacksmith, that Marque. He needs to get his shit together," Ieyasu complained about the quality of the axe's resistance to blood as he polished his weapon spotless.

The three cronies, or otherwise know as Sayo's arrow fodder, were pierced by the double-bladed arrows shot from the bow at high speed. The arrows were designed to stab the heart, go out through the back of the victim, and keep the heart attached to the arrowhead as it flew out of the person. Three pieces of the leader lay strewn about in random disorder, and the hearts of his cronies hung from the arrows on the wall. Blood was everywhere, including spattered all over Ieyasu and his clothing, but Ieyasu managed to grin. "Hey, Sayo, what say we go look for some more wanted posters? I don't think my axe has had its fill of slaying evil just yet." Ieyasu slung his axe over his shoulder once it was shining brilliantly in the moonlight once again. His stance,

"Sure, why not," Sayo yawned. This pair had taken down countless criminals in the Capital, with no second thought to what they were doing. Killing no longer affected them, and their battle prowess was exceptional, so they provided an invaluable force to the crime-fighting resistance in the Capital. Amidst the illusion of flourishing, prospering city, there was a bitter undertone of internal conflict and political corruption. At this specific moment, Sayo, the brains behind the operations of the two wondered aloud, "Is what we're doing truly right?"

The young man turned around and faced his comrade. "Sayo, what do you mean? We're obviously doing good; we're eliminating the evil in the Capital! Sure, it may be slow, but still! We are making a difference!" Ieyasu held up his fist in a display of passionate, powerful determination.

Sayo shook her head. "Your spirit is admirable. It's even more admirable than your physical strength. However… Look around us. What do you see, 'Eeya?"

Ieyasu scrambled up to the top of a nearby building to get a good look of the entire Capital. As he was climbing, Sayo shook her head. "_His strength and determination outperform even Tatsumi's; however, his common sense and lack of reasoning is his downfall. Together, with Ieyasu and I as a team, we're a near-perfect combination of strength, wisdom, determination, and speed. But there's a third who possesses all of these traits, at a very high level. Tatsumi… where are you? We need you back in our trio… besides, I miss you so much. Are you even alive, Tatsumi? Please be alive and well…" _

"Hey, dreamer lady! Did you hear what I said?" Ieyasu yelled from the rooftops.

Shaking the thoughts of her secret childhood love interest from her head, Sayo projected her powerful, audible, but nearly silent whisper. "Ieyasu. Don't shout. There may be other members of the group nearby, so be quiet-" Before Ieyasu could blink, Sayo withdrew her 24-inch blade she kept concealed in case of close range combat. She withdrew the blade so quickly, the metal on the sword was heated instantly and once she parried the hidden assailant's longsword, it sent a shower of sparks flying into her attackers' bare chests. The sparks were evenly spread out, so all three of her hidden would-be-killers were burning at the chests. Using her superior speed, she stabbed one man through the heart, killing him instantly. The second man's legs were swept from underneath him before he could even blink, and by the time his eyes had opened again all he could see was a gleaming sword lodged in his chest. Turning to the third, struggling assailant, she prepared to end him as well.

However, she forgot to take in her comrade's aerial prowess. Ieyasu jumped off the building with his axe extended above his head and performed one frontflip. Raising his dominant leg to gain leverage, he brought down the axe's blade directly in the center of the third attacker's head. With a brutal brass-knuckled punch, he sent the corpse swinging around on his axe tumbling to the ground. Once again, blood coated the walls, and Sayo forgot about the twitching, struggling heart on the end of her sword. Ieyasu's axe had brain tissue plastered to it, and he started complaining. "Man, I just cleaned this. When does the metal start resisting blood and guts?"

Sayo used the corpse's clothing to clean off her blade. The heart dribbled off of the killing piece of metal and plopped onto the ground, which she kicked away. Despite having unmatched abilities as an archer, she hated blood and would rather avoid it. But, if the situation called for her abilities, she'd put up with a little blood- or intestines, or brains, or vertebrae… She shuddered at the thought. In response to Ieyasu's complaint, she said, "I think it was just a sales ploy to get a fine warrior like you to buy the axe, due to how quickly you make decisions and your gullibleness." She covered her mouth to avoid letting Ieyasu see her chuckle. Ever since they had waited for their physical wounds to heal, she had smiled less and less, since she saw a specific someone less and less. Sayo, who was thought to have been killed from torture, was simply knocked out into a coma where she felt pain, thus leading to her body to be able to survive. Ieyasu, on the other hand, refused to pass out from his sheer force of will. The young man refused to pass out until he informed Tatsumi to be wary. The Lubora Disease was supposed to kill its victim gradually, but all it did to Sayo and Ieyasu was knock them out temporarily.

Ieyasu hefted his axe into a ready stance. "I don't know what you mean by our righteousness and all, but I do know that I love fighting evil! It gives me a rush that no other activity could reproduce!" Ieyasu's eyes gleamed with his pure determination.

Sayo decided to tell a joke, which was rare, due to Sayo's colder exterior. "So you're telling me that not even sex can make you feel as good as fighting evil does?" Sayo actually laughed, and Ieyasu was flustered and relieved.

"First off, what would you know about sex, virgin girl? I didn't see- or hear- you and Tatsumi getting it on while we were back at our village, Sayo!"

Just as quickly, Sayo fired back, "That's because too many people were around to hear us- god dammit." Sayo quickly realized what she had just said and covered her mouth. "You didn't hear that, 'Su."

"Oh, yes I did, and I believe a certain someone will be hearing of this when we see him again," Ieyasu smugly grinned. His grin was wiped from his face the instant Sayo prepared an arrow. She shot it, but he effortlessly blocked with with his axe. "Hey, calm your tits, Sayo! It's just a joke!"

Preparing another arrow, she growled, "So how about I reveal to the entire village your entire porn stash, with almost every type of the shit ever imaginable?"

"Uh… no. I won't speak of this to a soul," Ieyasu surrendered. To show he was defeated, he dropped his axe on its head. Unknown to Ieyasu, the specific ground he was standing on and the metal of the axe fused together, creating a heat wave around the axe's head. When Ieyasu withdrew his axe from the ground, a column of fire erupted from where the axe's blade lay.

"Holy mother of anal beads!" Ieyasu exclaimed. Blushing, he quickly corrected himself. "Uh, I mean, mother of god!"

After glaring at Ieyasu thoroughly, Sayo whistled. "That's quite the technique. It's almost as if that axe is an Imperial Arms."

Ieyasu grinned. "And maybe I've just awakened it now? That's awesome! This axe can call up pillars of fire." Ieyasu stopped to scratch his head. "But wait, if my weapon is a pseudo-Imperial Arms, isn't yours too? I mean, our weapons were both purchased from that shady dealer Marque," he thought aloud. "It would be logical if yours had a sort of mystical power. After all, who would want to go up against an axeman armed with fire and an archer armed with… I don't know, maybe clouds? Or what comes out of clouds," Ieyasu fantasized.

"Hmm… you may have a point there. It would make sense that I would have partial control over an element like you do," Sayo pondered. After thinking on the issue for a while, Sayo primed an arrow and shot it into the ground. A quick _thup _was all that was heard, but nothing else happened. Yanking the submerged arrow out of the soil, Sayo shot the projectile into the clouds off in the horizon. As soon as the arrow disappeared, a bright light flashed and a high-pressurized hydro pump of water shot straight back where Sayo once stood. Using her superior speed, she dodged it with plenty of time to spare, but Ieyasu was struck by a few water droplets from his slower reflexes. They pushed him back three steps, despite only being tiny droplets of water. What's more, the hydraulic stream blasted a hole straight through all the buildings behind them. Sayo sheepishly exclaimed, "Well, I guess we found the hidden secret to my bow," she laughed.

Ieyasu ran up to the hole, or holes, Sayo had punched in the buildings. His mind and reflexes may be slow compared to Sayo's, but his long distance eyesight was another one of his key features. "That stream of water blasted an incredibly long hole in everything straight behind me," Ieyasu said as he jerked his thumb towards the hole in the building nearest to them. "I'd guess the stream went for two or three solid miles before drizzling out," he analyzed.

With a ramrod-straight stance, Sayo interrupted. "Tangent Tuesday: Your mind may be lacking when it comes to battle, but your speech is more developed and mature-sounding than mine."

Ieyasu's face turned _chibi. _"Um… 'Yu, what does that have to do with a compressed-hydraulic-sky-cannon?"

Sayo laughed, as if she was drunk with whiskey. "Absolutely nothing. Come on, let's go find some more wanted posters."

The two wandered away into the night sky, laughing among themselves as if there were not a care in the world between the duo.

_**So, how was it? Please review, even if you didn't like it. I always love some good CC, and I hope you enjoyed this idea I cooked up. I put a lot of thought into this, so any support is appreciated. :) I will have a soundtrack for you to listen to as you read the story up soon, as soon as I develop it. :P However, until chapter 2, I ask you hold onto your hat and not become slain, like I have. Until next time, this is The Slain Executioner, slashing out. :D**_


	2. Unsolved Mysteries Solved!

**Author's note: All right, if that last chapter didn't leave you with a few questions or thoughts, then you obviously read it wrong. Go back and read it again, silly. :P So the reviewer, Sock my Rock brought up a very valid and logical point or two. He claimed that it was sketchy how Ieyasu and Sayo obtained their quote-quote, "Imperial Arms." Well, here's the thing. They don't actually have an Arms yet. The reason Ieyasu has control over fire from the earth and Sayo can control the clouds' water is… well, you'll see. The next point he brought up is that the deaths of Ieyasu and Sayo make Tatsumi who he is. Here's the catch: Tatsumi has no idea that his buddies are alive. I'll explain how he hasn't known in the chapter, but that's the general gist of the explanation. Last point but minor point; he thought Tatsumi would not easily up and leave Night Raid. One party struggles greatly in their thoughts, so Tatsumi is a possibility for that category. ;) **

**More details: Unless I receive numerous requests for a matching soundtrack to go with this story, I won't assemble one because of laziness. :P Also, once you see why Ieyasu and Sayo have their elemental powers, tell me whether or not you'd like to see an OC or two, because they actually might be necessary. So, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to send a PM my way or leave a review! This is The Slain Executioner, and I hope you thoroughly enjoy chapter 2 of **_**Sayo and Ieyasu: Killers of Fate. :) **_

At approximately 2:00 AM, Ieyasu exclaimed, "Hey! Look! It's a Night Raid poster, the Capital's greatest oppressor as of now!" Ieyasu's back twitched with excitement, and his axe quivered in his back-mounted sheath.

Numerous posters littered the area around the general Night Raid poster. They read as follows:

**AKAME- "Wielding the Imperial Arms, "Demon Sword: Murasame", and possessing combat abilities rivalled by none, Akame is truly a target to be wary of approaching when attempting to apprehend. Her battle prowess is rumored to be on par with the skills of General Esdeath, and anyone who is pierced with the sword by any depth will be killed slowly from the aftereffects of the cursed poison contained in the sword. No noticeable weaknesses are apparent. Be very careful. Reward for dead capture: 10,000,000 gold pieces. Reward for live capture: 20,000,000 gold pieces."**

A girl with jet-black hair, deep maroon eyes, and a dress with the respective colors glared at the poster viewer was depicted in the first one. She held a partially-withdrawn katana in her hand, and she was in a crouching stance, obviously to prepare for a counterattack. However, a small glimpse of her panties was shown, and Ieyasu's nose began to slowly drip blood onto the poster. He tried to wipe the blood away before Sayo noticed it, but she grabbed it from him and slapped his face.

"You pervert, you get aroused by looking at a criminal's wanted poster?" Sayo scolded.

Ieyasu sheepishly laughed. "Well, if she's hot, I can't help it, Sayo." He scratched the back of his neck.

"Ah… well." Sayo raised a finger, then slowly lowered it after she realized she couldn't exactly argue with his logic. Then, she turned and scoffed. "Pfft, men."

"Yes, well… how about we perform an act called 'moving on?'" Ieyasu sarcastically yawned.

Frowning at Ieyasu, Sayo plucked the next one off of the board. "Let's see here…"

**MINE- "A sassy, lively individual who wields the Imperial Arms "Roman Artillery: Pumpkin." Granted, we know the name is a bit off, but this particular Arms becomes stronger the bigger the pinch she's in, so if you want to capture her, you need to confiscate her weapon promptly. Her skill as a sniper is unparallelled, and her close combat skills are nothing to laugh at as well. She's fiery, so if you upset her, you'll most likely end up dead. Pumpkin can blast through nearly anything, so practice your dodging. Her weakness is that she leaves her back quite vulnerable to attacks. Reward for dead capture: 3,550,899 gold pieces. Reward for live capture: 7,449,999 gold pieces." **

A girl with pink hair and two pigtails gazed at the poster viewer with a blank slate in her eyes. However, her eyes said it all. They were full of fire, burning blue-hot determination. Strangely enough, she wore a pink-and-white dress. The rifle she wielded had a blade on the end for close combat, which gave her an intimidating vibe, for she was leaning on her weapon in the poster.

Ieyasu examined her closely. Then, he handed the poster to Sayo. "She'd be a perfect match in battle for you, Sayo," he said.

Sayo simply looked at him. "She has a firearm, I have mere arrows. Besides, I don't stand a chance against an Imperial Arms user," she countered.

Ieyasu shrugged, then glanced at Mine again. "She doesn't really have that impressive of a body, huh?"

Sayo sighed. "Why did I get stuck with you…" she muttered. Sayo pulled the next poster off of the wall.

**LUBBOCK- "A young man with the Imperial Arms "Infinite Uses: Cross-Tails". Cross-Tails can eject razor-sharp-strings that can form many shapes and objects. For example, Lubbock can provide a platform for his teammates from the shadows using his strings. He can create a spear, a makeshift shield, a crude suit of armor, and even an axe. Lubbock is a genius tactician, and is well-known for planning battle strategies out completely. His battle prowess is noted by the former general, Najenda, since he had served directly under her for some time. Beware of his expert manipulation techniques and his close-combat throwing knives. Reward for dead capture: 3,599,999 gold pieces. Reward for live capture: 7,555,826 gold pieces.**

A boy with long green hair, goggles atop his head and a trenchcoat of sorts was depicted. His left gloved hand was held up to show off a circle inside a circle that must have been where his Imperial Arms was installed. His cheeky grin emitted spunk and determination, yet his eyes demonstrated an experienced fighter with a exceptional brain for strategy.

Ieyasu thought out loud, "I could learn a thing or two from him."

Sayo agreed. "Me too. I've always wanted to become a better strategian." She glanced downward. What were she and Ieyasu fighting for now? Were they actually fighting for their village, or were they fighting just for themselves; to become stronger warriors through pointless, useless skirmishes and death?

Ieyasu poked her shoulder repeatedly. "Hey… you okay? Ever since we took out that group of twerps a few hours ago, you've been really dazy. Not exactly the Sayo I know and respect," he said.

Sayo smiled, ever so slightly. "Ieyasu, what are we fighting for?"

This question caught Ieyasu off balance, and he dropped the flyer depicting a blonde-haired woman with excessively large breasts. The serious nature of Sayo's voice made Ieyasu wrench his attention from Leone's womanly parts on the paper and back to his childhood friend. "Uh… we're fighting to purify the Capital. What else?"

Sayo nodded. "Yes, we are doing just that. However…" She glanced at the skyline. She could hear cheers, shouts, and also cries of anguish. "Ieyasu. Look for the three groups of people. I presume one group is mugging a person, one group is raping an innocent girl, and one group is murdering a victim."

Ieyasu took a look around the area Sayo had pointed at. In a few minutes, his face changed from boobscinated to horrified. "Sayo… we're fighting to protect… this?"

"No. Not just this. We're fighting to protect a corrupt Prime Minister, a sadistic General, and this overturn-by-internal-conflict Capital. To truly protect the Capital, and ultimately send funds back to our village, we'd need to target the source of the problem."

Ieyasu caught on right away. "So, you mean… the higher-ups? But how would we do that?"

Sayo yawned. "We'd need a group of able warriors as our equals or superiors, and an undying bond of trust like you, Tatsumi, and I share. We would need resources and information, like Night Raid does. And…"

Ieyasu held up a hand, his face confused. "So you're saying we should just up and join Night Raid, and abandon the Capital?"

"I prefer to think of it as poetry. We should have never entered the Capital, for my hope of this place of dwelling has fully been diminished over the past few months or so. And I quote, 'Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.' Ieyasu, we never should have fought for the Capital. We should have immediately joined a resistance against the higher-ups, not the petty criminals."

Ieyasu was shocked. "That makes too much sense. Do you mind if I sleep on it before deciding whether or not I agree with you?" Ieyasu's eyes were begging, for he refused to rush into this situation head-on, as he usually does for other types of conflict.

As the pair walked away from the wanted posters, a flyer advertising an intimidating suit of armor fluttered to the ground and settled there.

**TATSUMI- **"**The newest member of Night Raid. His speed, intellect and battle prowess are incredibly formidable. From deceased member Bulat's recent death, he inherited the Imperial Arms: Incursio, or otherwise known as Demon Armor, a legendary suit of armor that was made from a top-class Danger Beast. The only way to pierce Incursio is to use an opposing Imperial Arms against it. Without this suit of armor, Tatsumi is incredibly quick and skilled with a sword, so his new arrivance on the Night Raid scene only makes it harder for the group to be taken down. No set bounty has been confirmed yet." **

The next morning, after a breakfast of eggs and bacon for Sayo, and… bacon for Ieyasu, they developed a plan. They'd go join the Imperial Military for a very, very short while and then break away from the group and scout for Night Raid's hideout themselves. The duo figured that if they travelled in a pair, they'd be less noticeable and would have an easier time approaching Night Raid's hideout.

"Ah, the Capital's food is sure one thing I'll miss. This bacon is incredible!" Ieyasu sighed and flopped back into his chair.

Sayo looked at him. "Want to run over the plan once more, or do you have it down? Sayo asked.

Ieyasu sighed. "I got it, I got it… we train and master our newly acquired elemental control and join the Imperial Military, and wait until an expedition is mounted to go capture Night Raid, then we break from the group and sneak off to look at it for ourselves."

"Right. Now let's go to the outskirts so no one can see our practice. Besides, I don't like being looked at if my technique isn't perfect," Sayo brooded.

The duo got up and paid for their meal. Ieyasu picked up his axe and placed it into its sheath on his back. Sayo always carried her bow, and the arrows in her quiver bounced as she walked.

A hooded figure with long, messy blond hair drinking a cup of coffee seemed to be spying on them, since it stood up and left thirty seconds after Ieyasu and Sayo had. She grinned and adjusted her belt, then cracked her knuckles. As she left, she said to herself, "Ah, it's been a while since I killed young blood."

Out in the abandoned fields of the Capital, no living thing resided anywhere. Only an abundance of nothing resided in the wasteland; dried up grass and dead trees were the only spectators of Ieyasu's and Sayo's practice match.

Sayo chuckled. "You do know that water always extinguishes fire, right? Come on, 'Yas, I know you're stronger than that." She took on a crouching, fighting stance with her bow drawn and ready to fire. Her sword would be useless against Ieyasu's powerful axe. "_I need to keep him at a good distance," _she thought. "_He's got me good as dead if he gets within swinging range." _

"Nothing can extinguish the fire of the determined! I thought you knew this much about me, Sayo!" Ieyasu shouted and grabbed the axe with both hands near the base of the handle. His left hand was covered in a metal glove, and his right hand quivered with adrenaline. His multiple throwing knives in his coat and pants would be useful against Sayo, since he needed a distraction so he could get in close with his axe. Ieyasu grinned. He had the element of surprise on his side, since he had mastered the art of the throwing knife in secret. Her arrows would be used against her. "_But still, damn. She's the best archer I've ever seen, and she's quicker than anyone I've fought against. Despite my secret skill, I don't know if I can win." _His confident grin slowly gave way into his battle face.

The blonde-haired hooded figure had followed them out to the countryside to watch them fight. She stood hidden inside a hollow tree, which provided multiple knotholes for her to spy out of. The figure performed a silent analysis of how Ieyasu and Sayo prepared to fight. She observed that Sayo kept a close watch on Ieyasu's axe, and Ieyasu kept a close watch on Sayo's arrows and how many there were. Both had unique stances, but Sayo's was a little one-sided. Her back leg held too much weight, which would be an easy target for a sweep if anyone got close enough to knock her off balance. Ieyasu's stance, on the other hand, seemed very familiar to someone's she knew, except the way he held himself seemed to project more power and a little less speed. "_Ah, yeah. Tatsumi's stance is very much like this guy's, except this guy is more suited for an axe." _Leone smiled from her position. This would be a very interesting fight. But before that, she removed her hood and cloak, and let it fall to the base of the tree. Her scarcely-covered body made its way out of the robe, and she sighed in relief. "_God damn, I hate wearing that piece of shit." _

To make themselves feel more confident, each of them screamed out their battle cry. Ieyasu screamed, "For our…"

Sayo shouted in response, "Fallen one!" A single tear slid out of her eye when she yelled the words. She started out with shooting a single arrow to scout what Ieyasu was going to do. What he did was beyond her comprehension.

Ieyasu flipped his axe upside down and let the arrow strike the exact center of the butt of the handle. While Sayo was still shocked, he yanked the arrow out, jumped into the air and punched the arrowhead back at Sayo. Naturally, the arrow moved slower, but it was fast enough to provide pressure for Sayo.

The arrow whizzed by Sayo and stuck into the ground. She yanked her head back into the game and fired three more arrows.

Before that, however, Ieyasu began to charge Sayo with his axe in one hand and his metal-gloved hand in front of him. When the arrows came at Ieyasu, he brought up his axe and blocked two arrows with his weapon. He smacked the other one down with his gloved hand. Ieyasu grinned and front-flipped into the air, then swung the axe over his head and plunged the blade into the earth. He had no idea what it would do, be he was confident his warrior's mind would think of something quickly enough.

A massive ring of fire appeared around Ieyasu, and he dropped to a knee from the intensity of the heat. Teeth clenched, he attempted his signature whirlwind strike that he had dubbed, "Warrior's Gale." He found that performing this move actually severed the fire, and now the fire was parted into a floating ring of pure, fierce heat above Ieyasu's head. Swinging his axe around like an athlete would swing a hammer, he launched the spinning wheel of flame at his childhood friend and trusted comrade.

In the tree, Leone gasped quite audibly. She immediately covered her mouth, but she was astounded at the power this young man possessed. "_That's not even an Imperial Arms," _she thought, flabbergasted. "_How the hell is he doing this? Unless… that must be it." _Leone recalled overhearing the brief conversation between Tatsumi and Lubbock. Lubbock had said, quite adamantly, that survivors of the Lubora disease gain mild elemental control, depending on their personality. Was this young man a survivor of the Lubora disease? Leone's gaze drifted over to the archer girl. Was she a survivor, too?

Despite the swift-moving circle of fire speeding towards her, Sayo's extremely toned senses detected another human's presence. Snapping her attention back to the practice match, she thought, "_If this doesn't work, I'll be as good as dead." _She shot three spiraling arrows into the sky. Almost immediately, three rushing columns of water poured out the sky and punched massive holes in the ground, while partially extinguishing the fiery flames of Ieyasu's spirit. The straggling flames were extinguished by Sayo whipping her bow into the cyclones of water and flinging the water she retrieved into the remaining fireballs.

Once again, Ieyasu and Sayo were at a standoff, as equals. One did not surpass the other; they were as equal as equal could possibly achieve. Calling up the elements in that degree of intensity wore them out much too quickly. Sayo was breathing hard, and Ieyasu was still on one knee, recovering.

Sayo's eyes gleamed. Undetectable to the human eye, she let an arrow fly. Ieyasu's eyes flashed with passion, and he stood up to block the arrow.

Leone yawned, then stood up. "_This would be a good time to confront them," _she thought. Najenda told her to ask them a few questions, like who they were and why they were fighting for the Capital. After all, their beloved comrades Bulat and Sheele had died, and Night Raid was starting to become understaffed. Sighing, Leone pulled the cloak over her attractive body once again, and she twitched in irritation.

"Let's do this," she whispered as she adjusted her garment.

Sayo sensed something was gravely wrong and out of place. After Ieyasu blocked her lone arrow, she whispered to him, "Quiet. Someone's here with us. Stay on your guard." Ieyasu nodded, fully trusting this wasn't a battle tactic, for he sensed it too. Staying extremely alert, the duo backed up slowly until they were back to back in the middle of the field. Out of his peripheral vision, Ieyasu spotted the slightest movement by a large, dead, tree. He readied a throwing knife. By the time his knife had been drawn and he was ready to throw it, Sayo had already drawn her bow and was ready to fire.

Ieyasu glanced at Sayo, with a pleading look in his eyes. Sayo's eyes seemed to sigh, but she nodded. With a grin, Ieyasu gave her a thumbs-up. Taking in a deep breath, he let loose an animalistic roar. "WHO THE FUCK IS OUT THERE?!"

Leone was astounded that they had detected her. "All right, you two. You found me. I don't want to fight you guys, I just want to know how you acquired your strength." She held up her hands to signal she could do nothing without "taking an arrow to the knee"- or elsewhere. She walked slowly, still wary of these skilled young warriors.

Sayo kept her eyes on Leone. She motioned to Ieyasu to watch her back, and he turned around to see if Leone had backup. She didn't have any apparent backup, but some Imperial Arms could do strange things.

Sayo projected her whisper to Leone. "Who are you? Why do you want to speak to us?"

Leone smiled. "Let's just say I'm a talent recruiter. I want to speak to you about your crazy-cool abilities."

Ieyasu snuck a glance over his shoulder. She looked vaguely familiar to him from somewhere…

Leone cleared her throat, then coughed. "Could we by any chance go to a cafe or something? I need a soda. Also, I'm pretty sure that you two are parched. Especially you, young man," Leone said as she motioned to Ieyasu.

Ieyasu sent a questioning look Sayo's way. After a second of hesitation, Sayo nodded and lowered her bow. Ieyasu followed in turn by replacing his axe into his back sheath.

"Ahh, that's better. What drinks do you guys go for? I love my margaritas."

Sayo was starting to open to the mysterious woman. Ieyasu, on the other hand, stayed skeptical but remained friendly. "I prefer water to anything, thanks."

Ieyasu thought for a second before replying, "I like soda."

One margarita, two glasses of water and three bottles of strawberry soda later, Leone finally received a little more information on these mysterious warriors. "So lemme get this straight: You two were infected with the Lubora disease a few months ago, but survived. Then, after you recovered a few months later, you bought some high-quality weapons with money you stole. Following this, you discovered that Ieyasu could mildly control fire and Sayo could mildly control water, right?"

Ieyasu shrugged, then burped quite loudly. "Yeah, that's the gist of it." He leaned back in his chair, then quoted himself from this morning. "Ahh, the Capital's food is one thing I'm gonna miss."

Leone glanced at Ieyasu. "You guys are leaving?"

Sayo sighed. "You and your big mouth, Ieyasu. We planned to join the Imperial Military for a very, very short time, then once the group was close to Night Raid's location, we'd break from the group and travel as a pair in search of their base."

Ieyasu's neck snapped upwards. "Night Raid… the posters… you!" He pointed at Leone's chest. "Your bust is the same as the Night Raid girl on the posters! I thought you looked familiar!"

Leone laughed. "Well, I'm glad my most distinguishing feature was noticed. Yes, you're right. I am a member of Night Raid, but why are you so excited about it?"

Sayo and Ieyasu glanced at each other, then Ieyasu nodded. Sayo spoke up, "We decided to join a rebellion against this corrupt Capital, basically. We realized we were fighting for evil, instead of for the undetected, underlying side of good," Sayo explained. "Finally, we decided we needed a team that trusts us as much as we trust them, alongside their battle prowess."

Leone thought about Sayo's statement for a while. "All right. Fine. I'll take you to the hideout, but if you refuse our bosses' offer to join, we'll have to execute you on the spot, and that would soil our carpets. We don't like that," Leone sighed. "After all, you two don't even have an Arms, yet you have incredible elemental powers. What say we leave first thing tomorrow morning?" Leone smiled. Leone whispered to herself. "There's someone who would really like to see you, as well…"

Sayo looked at Leone. "What was that?" She asked. Leone laughed. "Ahh, it's nothing. Let's go have some fun, shall we?"

By now, Ieyasu's suspicions and Sayo's general untrustful nature had faded away, and they accepted Leone as a friend. The trio left to go participate in a sparring tournament, where only hand-to hand combat was allowed.

And, they also hit up a few clubs and got slightly drunk. So, the next morning, the three hung-over warriors stumbled out of the place they crashed in and shook the remaining alcohol out of their minds.

"Ugh…" Ieyasu grabbed his head and leaned against the wall.

Leone chuckled. "You really lasted a while before passing out, Ieyasu. You've got a strong tolerance to alcohol."

Sayo, on the other hand, passed out quite quickly. "As for you, Sayo, you don't seem to have quite the tolerance Ieyasu does…"

Sayo stumbled, then used Leone to regain her balance. "That's all right… I don't think alcohol's my thing anyway."

After the trio had sobered up, they set out into the mountains where everything was lush, green, and natural.

"_Kind of like Leone, except for the green part…" _Ieyasu pervertedly thought. As if Sayo detected a blip on the Pervert-o-Meter, she glanced at Ieyasu with a questioning look in her eyes. Quickly, Ieyasu averted his thoughts to happy fun times of meeting Night Raid.

"What might the pervert be thinking of?" Sayo drunkenly asked.

"Heh heh. Not thinking about breasts or anything…"

Sayo shook her head and sighed. "Ieyasu, you really need to get laid."

Leone overheard that little tidbit, and decided to send a jab at Ieyasu. "Oooh, our little warrior-friend hasn't gotten a lucky lady in bed, huh? I wonder when that'll come?"

Ieyasu's face turned the color of a ripe tomato. "Sh-shut up…"

Sayo decided to lay off of him. "All right, I think I'm done with teasing Ieyasu."

Leone stretched her arms behind her back. "Eeeh… but teasing young boys about their virginity is fuuun," Leone complained. Sayo glanced at her. How old was she, really?

"All right, let's set off," Leone exclaimed.

After a half-day hike through the woods, Leone stopped the duo at an overhanging rock face.

"Okay, this is where we get off," Leone explained. She jumped off of the cliff.

"Hey, Leone!" Ieyasu shouted, but stopped as soon as he heard Leone laughing. "What… the hell?"

Ieyasu peered over the cliff to look at how far Leone had fallen. She was laughing, with the element of carefree adventure in her eyes. "No worries, Ieyasu. My Lionelle can easily save me from falls that would kill a mere human."

Leone's body become even more refined. Her messy blonde hair grew lion ears, and her hands turned into paws extremely long, brutal-looking claws that had bits of rock on them. Her shoes had expanded, as if her feet had also morphed into paws. Her body was still just as sexy and attractive, though, and Ieyasu got a very good glimpse at her boob crack, for her was standing above her.

"Hey Ieyasu? What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" She mocked. Leone knew full well that his face was red from her womanly parts.

"N-no… I'm just s-surprised that an Imperial Arms can transform you into a lion," he stuttered.

Leone laughed. "Or was it something… else? Something a little… bigger?"

Ieyasu stammered, "Your boobs aren't what I was staring at! I was… contemplating the beautiful scenery around us!" He quickly darted his head in all directions, as if he was examining the grass, trees, and sky.

Hanging by one claw from the rock face, Leone giggled. "Looks like our little warrior friend is enthralled with boobies," she chuckled. "But seriously, though. Our hideout's just down here. No one would think to look underneath this rock face, so no one has discovered us yet. I'll take you to meet our boss, Najenda. She seems cold and heartless at first. After all, she was General Esdeath's partner and still is her equivalent. But seriously, she'll open up to you two pretty quickly, don't worry about that." Leone shouted a war whoop and dropped down to the ground 150 feet below.

Ieyasu glanced at Sayo. "Should we show Leone we're capable of following her just as quickly?"

Sayo grinned. "Yep. We aren't about to be outdone by a feline Imperial Arms! Ieyasu, grab hold!"

Attaching a tether to an arrow, Sayo shot it into the tree across the valley. The double-bladed arrow sunk deep into the tree's insides, so it was safe for Ieyasu and Sayo to swing down.

"Ready?" Sayo asked her lifelong compatriot.

"As you are!" Ieyasu replied with a grin. Sayo then launched her and Ieyasu's bodies off of the cliff. Ieyasu grabbed onto Sayo's stomach and held on as they fell.

"Yahoo!" Ieyasu whooped. Sayo's face was slightly pale, but she continued to let out the tether at a swift pace. Just before they were about to hit the ground, Sayo stopped reeling and the two of them dropped to the soil, unharmed.

Leone whistled. "Wow, I'm not sure our newest Night Raid member can even do that," she said with admiration.

Ieyasu shrugged. "It's real simple for Sayo, actually." He gestured towards the wall of rock that supposedly contained the assassin's group, Night Raid. "I want to meet this Najenda person."

Sayo nodded. "As would I."

Leone laughed. "You guys are way too formal," she taunted. "You two need to loosen up a bit."

The trio made their way into the hideout, and Sayo and Ieyasu prepared to meet the head-honcho of Night Raid, the most dangerous opposition to the Capital. Ieyasu gritted his teeth.

"_I'm joining Night Raid for my village! This should pay well, and if what Sayo says is true, I'll also be fighting for the good side, too." _His gritted expression gave way into a huge grin. "_I'm making the right choice. I just know I am." _

Sayo held a neutral expression, but her thoughts were racing at a million miles and hour. "_This is so exciting! I always thought the Night Raid members were cool, but now I get to meet them and we're also on the right side of things! I would have flipped with excitement if it wasn't for my warrior's training! My god, I'm too thrilled!" _

Ieyasu sensed a tone of silent hyperness. He glanced around, trying to detect it, but he couldn't find it. Yet, it was walking right beside him, carrying a bow and a quiver full of arrows.

Sayo grinned.

Leone hung behind the two young warriors walking in front of her.

"_Tatsumi will be shocked and overjoyed to see these two again." _

**Hopefully, that clears up your doubts about my story. Again, did you like it? Send me a PM or review if you have any questions, and I'll surely get back to you! Also, give me a week or two to pump out new chapters, since my parents are religious freaks, and by what you've read here, I don't think anything I write will tie in with their turtlenecked beliefs. :P I'm doing this strictly for fun, so if you want me to keep going, strongly let me know and I will continue having fun. :) I love you guys! This is the Slain Executioner, slashing out! :) **

Oh, yeah. If you have a 3ds, send me your friend code. :) My friend code is 1220 8478 6092. Two more things about my story:

1: Let me know if you want to see one or two OCs. I may or may not need them later on in the story.

2: If you want that soundtrack, please let me know and I'll assemble one, all right?

The Slain Executioner, actually slashing out this time. ;)


	3. Admittance

**Now that a lot of the confusion has been cleared up, I'm not going to have as much to say in the AN anymore. :( However, Sock my Rock said that if Sayo and Ieyasu receive an Imperial Arms, they'd become OP. However, there's a trick up my sleeve that I have for them, and it involves a little bit of the Lubora disease. There's not much else I have to say except that I want to play MK7 and KI:U with some of you readers. :) Leave a review or PM telling me your FC for the 3ds. :D Nothing else to see here. Let's get onto Sayo and Ieyasu's confrontation with Najenda. :) **

**Read to the bottom. There is an opportunity for YOU to make an impact on this story! **

Tatsumi sensed something he had never sensed before as he climbed out of bed. Yawning it off, he stretched and got dressed to help Akame prepare breakfast, which was undoubtedly meat of some sort.

As he walked through the hall, he felt like something was off. That his mind had been deceived by his eyes and his sense of logic. He was still partially distracted as he strolled into the kitchen and noticed Akame polishing Murasame. Tatsumi plopped down into a chair next to the "Red Eye."

"Tatsumi. Prepare Incursio. We need to go out and hunt fresh meat. Specifically, a Boar Danger Beast, since I want freshly-killed breakfast."

A while ago, Tatsumi would have sighed, but after Bulat's death, he became much more accepting of orders and learned to relish every experience he spent with his comrades and trusted friends. He stood up and slowly drew Incursio out of its sheath on his back. As he examined it, the chain attached to the butt of the sword's handle quivered slightly.

Tatsumi smiled. "Looks like Incursio is ready for a little hunt, too." He hefted the memory-filled sword over his shoulder. Akame smiled the faintest of smiles. She noticed Tatsumi staring at the former Bulat's weapon. "He meant a lot to you, didn't he?"

Tatsumi's fist clenched. "He was practically my second father." Akame could see Tatsumi's eyes struggling to withhold the tears.

"I'm sorry, Tatsumi."

With his eyes, completely shut, Tatsumi grinned. "It's all right. All this will do is strengthen me. I will be pushed to master Incursio's primary weapon, the Neuntote. I will become like Aniki." Tatsumi's left hand held him up against the table. His right hand held his head up.

Suddenly, a boy with green hair donning goggles atop his head and a long, deep green trenchcoat flew through the door. His hands were half-covered in fingerless gloves that contained his Imperial Arms.

Lubbock shouted, "WE'VE GOT NEW MEMBERS! Worry about your meat later, Akame!"

Akame stabbed her carving knife into the cutting board. "Eeeeeeh…" She followed Lubbock after he had bounded out the door once again. Tatsumi wiped his eyes, and re-sheathed Incursio's sword form. He sadly shook his head. "It's a good thing I didn't cry too much in front of Akame. I need to become stronger!"

Akame smiled as she heard those words, for she was positioned just around the corner.

"Cute."

Some time before tatsumi had awoken, Sayo and Ieyasu had met with Najenda in the main hall. The hall was large and imposing, and the woman in a black suit with a large, mechanical green arm only added to the intimidation factor. Night Raid flags hung from the columns supporting the building. The flags were blood red and depicted a crow glaring towards the bottom left corner.

Nejenda slightly leaned forward. "Hm. These two show amazing potential. Leone, you're great at finding young warriors."

Leone grinned. "Thanks, _boss-u._"

Najenda glanced at Leone. "What did I tell you about '_boss-u?' _When we get temporarily converted into English, it's just 'Boss.' Got it?"

Leone's face was a mixture of shock and question. "Uh… _boss-u? _Are you sure Lubba didn't sneak some weed into your cigs?"

Sayo and Ieyasu were watching this conversation play out with a face slightly resembling this: "._."

The one-armed-woman sighed. "Never mind, Leo. I'll explain later, when we're out of text."

By now, Leone's face turned into a crying chibi version of herself. "I don't understand at all…"

Averting the topic back to Sayo and Ieyasu, she proceeded to ask them a few more questions. "So, young lady. You're a strategian, ranged fighter, and speed-oriented, am I right?"

Sayo nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Najenda grinned. "No need to be so formal just yet. Young man, you were the long-distance eyes, close combat fighter, and strength oriented, right?"

Ieyasu caught Najenda's hint and responded with, "That's right!"

The Night Raid leader mumbled to herself. "That reminds me of an anime I used to watch in my younger days… but never mind." She proceeded. "Why did you two come to join the Revolutionary Army, or this specific branch we refer to as Night Raid?"

Sayo glanced at Ieyasu, who nodded. He said, "We realized that we were only adding evil to the Capital by fighting for it. By joining this unit, we can help take down the higher-ups, such as the corrupt prime minister. That would inevitably lead to the Capital's eventual downfall, and then Night Raid could produce a world of peace. Right?"

Najenda nodded. "Good. Young man, your insight is excellent. If you are acquainted with history, I'd say your visionary prowess is somewhat the same of Tokugawa Ieyasu. I'm sure you're aware of the unifier of Japan, correct?"

Ieyasu grinned. "Yeah, of course I am. Because my name is Ieyasu!"

Najenda froze.

"Lubba, who are these two new recruits? Do they seem promising?"

Lubbock was swinging around the hall on his Imperial Arms as Tatsumi struggled to keep up. "Eh, all I know is that there's a girl and a guy. The girl has a flat chest, a bow, and long black hair. The guy has a headband, spiky hair, and a large battle axe that has an inverted blade."

That made Tatsumi think. "Inverted blade? That's the same kind of axe Ieyasu would use at our village."

Lubbock shrugged. "Quite a coincidence, huh? Let's move, Taht!" Lubbock swung away down the hall once again.

When the pair finally reached the doors, Tatsumi faintly heard a confident voice shout out, "Yeah, of course I am. Because my name is Ieyasu!"

Tatsumi's eyes grew wide. "I… Ieyasu…?"

"Ieyasu? No. You're Tatsumi's childhood friend, the one that died from the Lubora disease! We buried you two!"

"TATSUMI?" Wait… he can't be here, can he? Is he serving under you guys?" Ieyasu was excited and shouting by now.

Sayo's eyes started to water, but she forced the dry. "Is he here, Ms. Najenda?" Her voice quivered on the word 'he.'

"In the flesh. In fact, another one of our members, Lubbock, is fetching him right now. Sayo, you'll like Lubbock. He's our main strategist, and he supplies the alert if anyone infiltrates out base."

"I can't… can't believe it… Tatsumi ended up here?" Sayo's grin was matched with the same intensity of her crying eyes.

Ieyasu was struggling to keep from letting the waterworks take over. "It's going to be fantastic to see Tat again…"

Najenda gave them time to compose themselves, then she asked, "Are you really the Sayo and Ieyasu we thought of as dead?"

Sayo stepped up. "It's true, Ms. Najenda. We were unconscious in the ground for about a week before we struggled out." Sayo rolled up her sleeve to show Najenda where the excessively large needle penetrated her to inject the deadly virus.

"We thought that this…" Ieyasu focused his energy into the axe and it was engulfed in a controlled, yet intense, flame. "was a result from our surviving the disease."

Najenda's eyes grew large. "I haven't seen that before."

"I believe you two, now that I have seen. I can't believe you two survived. There's only two other happenings of people surviving Lubora… and they're out there, wandering the Capital. They aren't even performing executions, but their battle prowess must match yours," Najenda stated. She smiled. "All right. You two are officially in Night Raid. Congratulations." The leader of the unit Night Raid held her mechanical hand out towards Sayo first. The female childhood friend of Tatsumi shook her cold, yet welcoming, robotic hand. Ieyasu was next. He grasped Najenda's hand with a big grin on his face.

Tatsumi stared at the ground, a dazed and blank expression riddling his face. "Sayo… Ieyasu… you're dead…"

Lubbock tilted his head. "Eh? What are you talking about?"

Tatsumi shot his head up; his eyes brimming with tears. "That is my childhood friend, Ieyasu! We grew up together! He's one of the ones who was killed by the Lubora disease, remember?"

The green-haired strategian shrugged. "Let's go find out."

Tatsumi reluctantly pushed open the door to see Sayo shaking Najenda's hand.

**I'm sorry for the short chapter. I wanted to put Sayo, Ieyasu and their admittance into Night Raid in one chapter, and have that be IT. Don't worry, next chapter will be around 2000-3000 words, all right? Thanks so much for supporting me on this journey. I love you guys. The Slain Executioner, slashing out. :) **

**Oh, yes. I will be adding two female OCs into this story at some point. If you wanna flex your creative juices, send me a PM with the specifics of the character you'd want to see, and I just might use them. ;) Specify weapons, their physical descriptions, and how they fight. (i.e. Are they a strategian? Swordfighter? Lance? Spear?) I'm looking forward to the ideas I get from you guys. **

**Now I'm officially slashing out. Good night you guys. **


	4. You bastard! You're so cute

**AN: Should I incorporate any of these weapons/torture methods with a few twists on them? **

**Gamma ray "Occurs when a star collapses on itself." **

**Botulinum toxin "Links between muscles and nerves are severed, paralyzing the respiratory system. One gram could kill 1,000,000 people.**

**The choke pear: Used to torture homosexuals or blasphemers. I won't target homosexuals, I'll just use the torture in general. **

**The judas cradle: A pyramid shaped blade. The victim was slowly lowered onto the spike from the anus. **

**Damascus Steel - Indian Wootz steel, formed fearsome blades. **

**Greek Fire - can light water on fire **

**Mahem: A weapon using magnetic fields to propel a stream of molten metal at targets. The metal would form an aerodynamic slug and penetrate enemy armor. **

**Heaven's rods- Space satellites firing tungsten rods that could hit a target in 15 minutes without warning. Can exceed 39,000 kmH**

**LRAD- "****Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), also known as a sound cannon, is an ****acoustic hailing device** **and ****sonic weapon** **developed by ****LRAD Corporation** **to send messages, warnings, and harmful, pain inducing tones over longer distances than normal ****loudspeakers****." Thinking of using this for an Imperial Arms, only with a few modifications. **

**macuahuital- blades embedded in the sides, looks like a rectangular baseball bat.**

**Chakram-A throwing circle that was a blade. Thinking of incorporating a homing Imperial Arms like this. **

**Morning star- just for shits and giggles. **

**Tessen- folding fan with blades supporting it**

**Tekko-kagi (Claws) made of Iron, aluminum and steel. **

**Klewang - **** wiki/Klewang** **just go here. **

**Please submit your OC ideas to me! I will be using two new OCs in the latter chapters of this story, and I decided that the OCs are absolutely necessary. I need ideas, but if I don't get enough, I'll base them entirely on my imagination. I have received two suggestions which are both good, so I'll combine those ideas with yours. Also, give me a week to produce new chapters. Most likely I'll have a new one up in no more than 5 days or so, so keep your eyes peeled. :) This is now official, and I'll post an update of what's keeping me from writing on my profile if I exceed 8 days, all right? So, you get more of what you like in less time. :) **

**With that aside, I am working very hard to produce quality chapters. I know it's only been three days since my last update, but I used a lot of my weekend time to create this, about 12-14 hours. So I think it's good work, and I hope you think so too. I'm working on becoming more descriptive, so I hope you enjoy chapter four of Sayo and Ieyasu: Killers of Fate. :D **

* * *

Tatsumi stopped in his tracks. There, standing in front of the woman he referred to as "boss," stood his childhood friend Sayo. Just behind the formidable archer stood his powerful buddy, Ieyasu. Tears filled the young warriors' eyes, and he fell to his knees. His mind was clashing with logic. The logic said that Sayo and Ieyasu were dead; buried in the ground, never to be seen again. Even an Imperial Arms couldn't revive them. But, on the other hand, his mind told him that his childhood friends, whom he had grown up with were standing right in front of him, in the flesh.

Tatsumi's eyes grew wide, and the salty liquid spilled out the visionary orifices. "N-no… Sayo, Ieyasu," he whispered weakly. On his knees, he extended his hand out towards Sayo, fingers facing upwards to the ceiling.

The archer noticed a movement out of her peripheral vision, and turned towards the figure slumped on the ground. Her mouth curved upwards and her eyes' emotions matched Tatsumi's. She began a staggered walk towards the emotional young warrior and dropped to her knees in front of him; mirroring Tatsumi.

Ieyasu was about to dash off to give his childhood buddy and training partner a bear hug, but the ample-breasted Leone stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Ieyasu. Wait a few minutes before greeting him. A while back, when Tatsumi and Akame, a fellow Night Raid member, faced an Imperial Arms user, Tatsumi was shown a vision of Sayo trying to kill him. This is important, because the one who matters most to the victim appears in their mind. They succeeded, but this encounter left Taht scarred for a while. Also, it's clear to see that Tatsumi loves Sayo, because he saw her in his delusionary vision. As a man, you should wait before approaching another man with his woman in an emotional time."

Ieyasu slumped. "All right, Leone. You're right." He clenched his fist. It started to shake from the anticipation of giving his buddy a friendly punch. The fiery-spirited warrior thrust his hands into his pockets to prevent them from doing something rash.

Meanwhile, Sayo slipped her outstretched hand with fingers up into his, and they unanimously curved their fingers downward and remained like that. Tatsumi was the first to break the hand-holding, and he lunged at Sayo for a hug. With tears flooding out of his eyes at the rate which Sayo summoned water from the sky, he managed to choke out, "You have no idea how painful it was for me to see your body hanging from the ceiling." His crying now gave way to full-fledged sobbing, and his breath became ragged and heavy.

Sayo returned the hug with the same intensity. "Tatsumi… oh, Tatsumi… I was so worried about you. I know it's cliche, but it's true. You have no idea how painful it was to wander around the Capitol performing executions, with no closure to how you were doing, or if you were dead," she moaned. Her controlled waterworks now gave way to the onslaught of tears that she could no longer control. Held tightly against Tatsumi's lean, muscular body, she became slightly aroused and breathed deeply in his shirt while pressed against him.

Tatsumi's manly parts were also slightly turned on, due to being extremely close to the woman he loved. However, both warriors kept their teenage emotions in check as they simply enjoyed each others' company- and scent.

Lubbock, who was looking slightly awkward, inched his way over to Leone. The strategian elbowed Leone's shoulder. He whispered, "Now why can't that be me?"

Leone whisper-chuckled. "That's because you're a perv at heart, soul, and mind, Lubba," she giggled in response. Lubbock's shoulders slumped, and he turned away from the childhood friends in their embrace. Pervert or not, he was enough of a man to give a fellow comrade privacy in his romantic adventures.

Tatsumi, who initiated the hug, broke the hug after a few minutes. He held her shoulders, his smile was tear-coated, and his cheeks glimmered from the liquid. "It's better than amazing to see you again, Sayo."

Sayo cupped her hands around Tatsumi's face and wiped his face dry with her sleeve. "Tatsumi, it's okay. I'm alive, and so are you. Finally, we've fulfilled our promise that we'd meet up again." After she finished wiping his eyes, she dried her own.

"I can't wait any longer!"

Ieyasu bounded from his position by Leone and wrapped his arms around the both of them. "Stop crying, you two! We should celebrate! After all, yours truly and your lover just got admitted into Night Raid!"

Tatsumi blinked. "You two joined Night Raid? But that means…"

Sayo finished wiping her eyes. "We'll be the replacements for the deceased I just caught wind of. I know we can't match them in abilities or personality, but we will do our best to provide Night Raid with our abilities that we harnessed together as kids," she said confidently. Her eyes faded from a joyous relief to intense drive and determination.

Ieyasu grinned in agreement. "Right! And we're also a pretty unique case, according to the boss."

Tatsumi raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What do you mean, 'Su?"

Ieyasu was one step ahead of Tatsumi. He raced out of the main Night Raid doors, dragging Tatsumi along with him and forcing Sayo to run to keep up.

Najenda grinned, and she motioned to Leone and Lubbock to go after the childhood trio. "Go keep an eye on those two to make sure they don't burn down the forest or flood the valley." Leone took off running, fully understanding, but Lubbock was confused.

"Hah? Burn? Flood?"

Najenda shook her head. "In all your years of serving under me, you never seemed to understand that I have my reasons for ordering something. Go."

Lubbock took the hint and ran after Leone. "Uh… yes, ma'am," he stuttered. "Hey, Leone! Wait your ass up!"

* * *

Out in the mountainside, everything was lush, green, and natural. The trees swayed in the slight breeze, the grass was flowing, and the innocent wildlife conversed among themselves.

Not the best place for Ieyasu's elemental power. Ieyasu and Sayo unanimously decided that Sayo would be a better sparring partner in this area. Akame would referee the match, and she decided that the two needed to stay within a set boundary. She turned around and set two boxes down that read, "TATSUMI" and "SAYO". Najenda walked up to her and tapped her shoulder. "Akame, what have I told you about bets?" The Night Raid leader held roughly the equivalent that was swindled from Tatsumi by Leone.

"Just because I've been emotional today doesn't mean I can't defeat you any day!" Sayo confidently struck a pose with her bow. She inhabited the left side of the field.

Tatsumi turned and carefully set Incursio's blade form into Lubbock's hands. "Lubba, watch this for me, will ya?" He picked up his sword that was given to him by the village, and he unsheathed it. "Whatever, Sayo. These guys at Night Raid provide a twist on training! It's nothing you're used to!"

Najenda raised her eyebrow that held an eye underneath it. "_Refusing to fight with his Imperial Arms against an archer with a sword as well? He's a humble warrior for refusing divine advantage, but he's outclassed as of now." _She dropped the cash into the box that read "TATSUMI". "_You perform at your best when you're outclassed, Tatsumi. That's why I bet on you. Don't make me lose this money." _

Lubbock and Akame deposited their bets into the "TATSUMI" box. However, Leone, Mine, and Ieyasu bet on "SAYO."

Akame glanced into the boxes. "Looks like they're about even in supporters." The red-eyed slasher glanced at Najenda. "Shall we begin?"

The leader whipped her green, mechanical arm out with a flourish. "Use control, you two. Let the match begin!"

Tatsumi started out by circling around Sayo slowly while she held her bow at the ready. Sayo knew that Tatsumi's reflexes were almost as good as hers, so she knew that the instant she fired when he was ready, he would be upon her. As Tatsumi rose his leg to step, she fired at his knee. Just as she predicted, he deflected it with his metal glove. He grinned.

"You know, I used to be an adventurer like you…" He began to chuckle.

Mine stopped him. "What did I tell you about making that joke? Shut up and fight!" the hot-headed sniper yelled from the stands.

Never shifting his gaze from Sayo, he focused once again. "_Damn. Getting in close will be difficult. But once I get in there, it should be all downhill from there since I outclass her in hand to hand combat. Still… she's formidable with the sword. I need to tread very, very carefully around her." _

Sayo kept her eye on Tatsumi. "_Damn. I need to keep him at bay, or else I'm done for." _She shifted her foot to her back stance, where she possessed uneven weight placement. This provided a more accurate shot, but a vulnerability if someone got in close. "_Even still, keeping him away will be difficult. He's fast, and he's strong as well. But…" _She grinned as she prepared to shoot an arrow into the sky right above where Tatsumi stood.

Her mind made a sexual joke. "..._I'm a very wet person."_

She released the arrow, and it sliced through the air into the sky. Tatsumi sensed a reason for her actions and crouched in a ready stance. He detected something above his head, took a chance, and dived to his left.

A roaring wall of water pulverized the ground as if it was a dried-up cookie. Tatsumi escaped the aqua onslaught by the skin of his teeth and blocked another arrow shot at him. "What the hell, Sayo! Is that an Imperial Arms?"

Sayo primed another arrow for launch. "Nope. It's an aftereffect of surviving the Lubora disease." Her eyes had long lost the warm, inviting look they contained when she and Tatsumi were embracing. This was battle. There was no room for emotions. Sayo shot two arrows in an "X" pattern. Two more monoliths of rushing water passed over Tatsumi's head, and he ducked just in the nick of time. The water penetrated the ground, leaving two enormous holes in the earth in addition to the first one.

Sayo was shooting massive beams of water out of the sky, and Tatsumi was doing his best to dodge. His mind was working faster than ever, even faster than when he fought Zank. He glanced at the holes in the ground, then ran towards the sidelines, all while dodging the arrows. Since he had dashed towards the audience, they had to duck for cover as the arrows were now flying at them.

"Tatsumi, what the hell are you doing?" Leone screamed.

"I'll explain later! Lubba! Toss me that sword!" Tatsumi stopped to dodge a plight of arrows. "No no, not Incursio! That other one!" Lubbock picked up a spare sword and tossed it to Tatsumi. "Thanks, Lubbock!" He waited for the arrow fire to slow down, then he moved back into the place where he started the fight. Making eye contact with Sayo, he smiled. "Nothing you've seen." He jumped into the hole that one of the rushing walls of water punched in the ground.

Sayo stared at the hole, not knowing how to respond. Then, she shot another arrow into the sky so that the water blasted into the hole which Tatsumi jumped into.

Tatsumi grinned broadly. This was going exactly as he wanted it to, and Sayo was playing right into his gloved hand. He waited for the water to nearly reach him, then he slipped the blade that Lubbock had tossed to him underneath his feet, and he stood on the broad side of the sword. Riding the rush of water into the sky, Tatsumi shakily balanced on the sword as if it was a surfboard. Since water shot out of all of the holes in the ground, Sayo never caught a glimpse of Tatsumi when he blasted past her as he was accelerating upwards.

Tatsumi waited for the water to reach the peak of its height, then he silently grabbed the sword from underneath him and hopped off of the reverse waterfall. His plan of action was to fall from the sky and knock her bow away so that she couldn't trigger any more gushing water. The young warrior brought the blades over his head and started to frontflip in the air to gain momentum. Apparently, Sayo had no idea where he was or how he escaped the onslaught of her aquatic arrows. She glanced around, wary of her surroundings. Drawing her short sword, she looked around the field and saw nothing. Then, from an old warrior's instinct, she looked up. Sayo barely brought her sword up in time to meet the fury of the two blades that Tatsumi swung down on her with all of his might.

Sparks flew as Tatsumi crashed down onto Sayo's _wakizashi_. Quite awkwardly, Tatsumi collapsed on top of her after the split-second parry had occurred and the continued force of his fall placed his lips right on hers. Tatsumi's eyes grew wide, and his eyes matched Sayo's in terms of surprise. He leaped off of his childhood friend, and apologized. "Sayo…! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…!" However, part of Tatsumi enjoyed the surprise kiss they had shared just moments ago. However, Sayo simply smiled. She picked up her wakizashi and plunged it into the ground. Sayo dropped her bow and shot Tatsumi a thumbs-up. "You win, onee-san," she whispered. Since no one else heard her projected whisper, only Tatsumi could hear Sayo's little gesture of lifelong affection. Since Tatsumi was only a few weeks older than Sayo, they had grown up calling each other "Big brother," and "little sister," respectively.

"You win, Tatsumi," Sayo declared in her normal voice. "If this had been a battlefield, not a sparring arena, you would've had me dead with two swords stuck in my cranium." She wasn't angry. She was astonished, surprised, and a little flustered.

Tatsumi stumbled backwards. "Sayo… you never admit defeat…"

"... Unless I've already been defeated. Yes, Taht, you beat me. Now stop rubbing it in or I'll rub your face in the dirt," Sayo growled. But there was a lightheartedness behind her eyes. Her killer smile masked it, though, and Tatsumi didn't seem to see that she was fooling.

Lubbock cheered, Akame smiled, and Najenda merely laughed. "All right, you fools," The leader of Night Raid chuckled, "Pay up." Dejectedly, Leone, Mine, and Ieyasu split the money evenly in the "SAYO" box and handed it over to Lubbock, Akame, and Najenda.

Ieyasu was shocked. "Tatsumi… you underwent training from Night Raid, right?"

Tatsumi, the victor, wiped sweat from his brow, and with a sheepish grin on his face, swiped the back of Sayo's shirt, effectively wiping his sweaty hand on her shirt. "You bastard! I'll kill you!"

Tatsumi ran off, but was easily brought back to the arena by Sayo. Due to her unnaturally quick speed, she caught up to Tatsumi in a few seconds. As Sayo sat on Tatsumi's spine, he choked out, "Yeah, Ieyasu. The training here is super unique and awesome." Sayo pressed more weight into Tatsumi's back, and he croaked. "Mercy. MERCY! I'm sorry! I'll wash it, Sayo! Stooooop!"

Sayo just scoffed.

* * *

Due to the curious nature of Night Raid, Tatsumi never got to have some alone time with his childhood friends. Of course, he didn't mind, sicne he loved all the members of Night Raid, but he would like some detail-hashing, deep talking, and time to cherish the people he missed the most. Tatsumi was still in partial shock from the fact that his friends were alive, but he was more glad than anything. "_What made them survive the Lubora disease, and not the countless other warriors that were infected by it?" _Tatsumi was certain that Ieyasu survived on his sheer willpower, but he wasn't sure about Sayo.

The Night Raid members must have noticed he was daydreaming, because Leone came up and slapped him on the back of the head. Tatsumi turned, and received a faceful of boob. "Nee-san…"

"Cheer up, Tatsumi," Leone said as she glanced down at Tatsumi's now-reddening face. "Your friends joined Night Raid! Why are you so down?"

"I'm just thinking about some weird circumstances that have happened lately," came his muffled response. "Nee-san… can you please remove your breasts from my face?"

Slowly, teasingly, Leone backed away with a sheepish grin on her face. "Sorry, Tatsumi. It's fun to embarrass you."

Sayo's face roughly resembled this: -_-'

Taking the opportunity to change the subject from female jealousy to a kind of battle, Lubbock asked, "Hey, Sayo. Are you a strategist?" He was holding a chess board with a big grin on his face.

Averting her mind from Leone's boob size to Lubbock's challenge, she said, "Yeah, I am. Up for a game?"

Lubbock and Sayo moved to a different table to spar with their minds. Mine was asking Ieyasu about where his axe came from, and Leone nudged Tatsumi with a devilish grin.

"So, Taht, you got something for Sayo?" Leone asked, poking him in the shoulder.

Tatsumi replied with his face the color of a tomato, "N-no…" but his mind said, "Yes, yes I do."

"Aw, you're turning red, that's even cuter," she cooed in a girly voice.

"I-I said I don't have something for her!" Tatsumi strongly denied. Attempting to prove his point, he waved his hands out in front of him.

Leone just waggled her finger. "Strong denial means strong affection!" she giggled. Tatsumi looked like his face and blood swapped colors.

Tatsumi deflated like a balloon, and he slumped his shoulders. "Fine, fine, nee-san. You got me…" A part of Tatsumi; however, enjoyed the feeling of being found out by everyone that he loved Sayo. No one was going to see that or hear him admit that, however. His heart smiled at the idea of him trying to play tough guy.

Tatsumi glanced over at said female. She was lost in thought, deeply plunged into her thoughts of overturning Lubbock's chess strategy. Her eyebrows were scrunched up, and she was biting her upper lip. His heart simultaneously smiled and flipped at the sight of her in such a concentrated, yet so adorable pose.

Averting his glance before Leone noticed him staring at Sayo, he turned to Ieyasu who sauntered up to talk with him. "You two are intense fighters! When'd you learn to dual-wield? And when did you take pleasure in kissing Sayo?"

Tatsumi blushed at the last remark. "Bastard! How'd you see that?!" He quickly shut up before he said anything more about his affections.

Ieyasu raised his eyebrows. "Oho! So my hunch was correct, all these years!" he slapped him on the back. "I thought you'd never find that special someone, ani-ki!"

Tatsumi's face turned from flustered to shock, anguish, and deep hurt. His mind immediately rushed to the heart-shaped hair warrior who taught him so much about being a true man, and a teacher he looked up to as a father figure. Tatsumi's nickname for Bulat simply drove him over the edge, as any person would have been. "Bu-Bulat…. ANI-KI…!" Tatsumi struggled to keep his eyes dry, but they refused. His hands clenched at his sides, and they began to tremble. Even Incursio seemed to shudder as Tatsumi cried over his second father.

"Tatsumi, I'm sorry! What did I do…?"

Sayo glanced over at the pained shout of Tatsumi. Her heart immediately told her to go comfort him, but she had a feeling that whoever this 'aniki' was, he would have told him to sort it out on his own this time. Crying internally, she turned to Lubbock. "Who is Tatsumi's 'aniki?'"

Lubbock's face was sad and distant. Snapping his attention back to the archer in front of him, he depressedly said, "Bulat was a former member of Night Raid. Strong, admirable man, he was Tatsumi's second father, in a sense. We all admired him and his great strength, but Tatsumi admired him the most of us all. He used to wield the Imperial Arms: Incursio; or Demon's Armor, which he passed down to Tatsumi. Served the Capitol's army for a while, then defected to Night Raid, like I did. Night Raid misses him terribly, but Tatsumi was gravely affected by his death. Bulat was killed by a former general in the army, General Liver. Tatsumi managed to defeat Liver's henchman by utilizing Incursio, but the process of this killed Bulat. In a way, Tatsumi feels responsible for Bulat's death, but we all know as a single unit that none of it was Taht's fault." Lubbock turned his face away, and Sayo respected his gesture.

"_Tatsumi… please be all right." _Sayo clenched her fist in an effort to keep from comforting him. Tatsumi stood in the center of the room, sniffling. No one walked up to comfort him, since they must have all sensed that Bulat would have told him to not cry about it too much. Tatsumi wiped his eyes and raised his hand in the air, similar to when he did with Akame in the kitchen after Sheele was executed.

Quick as lightning, Akame slapped his hand away, and he stared in shock at her cold face that contained sympathetic eyes. "Don't hit yourself again, Tatsumi. All you need to do is keep your promise you made to me, and Night Raid. We all make up Night Raid, so if you made a promise to me, you made a promise to the entire group." Akame swirled around and forcefully stated, "Tatsumi promised me he would stay alive, no matter what, so I wouldn't have to experience the pain of losing another comrade. He made that promise to everyone through me! Now, I want every one of you to make that same promise to Tatsumi!"

Although it was not an order from Najenda, the Night Raid leader's eyebrows raised in great approval at this normally quiet girl. She stood up and extended her robotic hand towards Tatsumi. "I swear as the leader of Night Raid that I will not die! Tatsumi and the entire rest of this unit will never experience the pain of losing their leader!"

"Boss…!"

Taking the hint, Lubbock shot out of his chair. "Tatsumi, I swear upon my title as a pervert and a strategian that I will live to harass you another day!" The green-haired strategian flicked his strings out of his gloves and formed the words, "I FUCKING PROMISE." His eyes glittered with admiration and loyalty.

"Lubba… You…" Tatsumi's eyes filled with more tears.

Leone grinned. "You have my word that I'll stay alive and well to smash my breasts into your face, Taht," she giggled.

"Nee-san!" Tatsumi's face flushed. Sayo simply shot her -_-' look at Leone again.

Mine shyley stood up and looked Tatsumi in the eye. "I swear that I will stay alive for you, Tatsumi." In an inaudible whisper she said, "Because I love you."

Tatsumi's eyes danced. "Mine… Everyone…!" He didn't catch the latter part, however. Mine sighed in relief.

Akame smiled. "Just as you fiercely promised to stay alive, Tatsumi, I will match your intensity and keep on living with you."

Tatsumi looked around with a huge grin on his innocent face. "Akame… thank you so much."

Ieyasu walked up to Tatsumi and patted him on the back. "Tatsumi, we've always been friends and comrades. But we'll continue being friends forever, and comrades even longer, all right?"

Tatsumi started to cry again. Ieyasu gave him a comforting 'bro hug.'

After Tatsumi had settled down, Sayo walked up to him and lifted his chin. "Tatsumi. Look at me." He gazed into her trench-deep grey eyes. "No matter what comes before me, I will shoot it down and match you in your records of an assassin. If we die prematurely, we die together. Remember that promise? 'If we are to die, we are to die together?' Well, I'm reinforcing that promise, and I'm sure Ieyasu will as well." Ieyasu nodded furiously. "Now remember, keep that promise, or I'll send you to hell, all right?" Sayo's words were harsh, but her eyes and mouth were deeply smiling. She hugged him.

"Sayo… Everyone… I can't say how much this means to me. I love every single one of you and I never want to leave!"

Tatsumi continued to cry as the members of Night Raid sympathetically smiled at their three newest members.

* * *

That same night, as Tatsumi stared out of his bedroom window, he thought about the sincere words of his comrades, friends and fellow assassins. "How was I so lucky to end up with these incredible people?" he wondered. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knocking on the door.

A feminine voice called out, "Hey, Tatsumi. Can I come in?" It was Sayo.

"_Sayo? Why is she here?" _Brushing the wrinkles out of his nightgown, he said, "Sure thing, Sayo, come on in."

Sayo poked her head around the door and gave him a big smile. Closing the door softly behind her, she walked over to the bed and sat down a few inches from him.

"_Uh… the door? There must be something private she wants to talk about." _

Sayo's mind, on the other hand, was travelling a million miles a minute. "_Oh my god I don't know what to do what if I mess up will he deny me or will he accept me how do I tell him I'm so nervous oh…" _

However, on the outside, she simply smiled and asked him, "Hey. How has Night Raid been after we were separated?"

"_Whew, that was good, Sayo. Nice and casual, with no hint of anything… romantic," _her mind sighed in relief.

Tatsumi looked at his childhood friend. "It's been really, really nice. You'll go through training under all of the members, and who knows? You may even get to train under me!" he laughed. "But really, everyone's really nice and they'll support you fully in anything you try. I think you'll find Lubbock the most suited to your style of battling. Distant, silent, and a brilliant strategian. He's really smart, so you two can match wits." Tatsumi smiled, then continued. "The training may be boring at times, but it's all for a big purpose that I failed to see when I was being trained by Akame."

Sayo's eyes brightened. "Everyone's really nice? Cool! I thought Najenda was kind of cold, though," she stated.

"It's a warm kind of cold," he explained. "She was around the cold-hearted General Esdeath for the longest time, so it's understandable."

Having knowing who Esdeath was, Sayo didn't question the name. Instead, she asked, "How did you end up here?"

Tatsumi sighed. "Well, after I presumed you two dead, I killed the owner of the estate who drugged you," he said, sadly. "Nee-san saw potential in me, so she brought me with to Night Raid's HQ. I realized that the Capitol was corrupted and decided to join Night Raid. After all, I would have been killed if I refused," he laughed.

Sayo associated 'nee-san' with the woman named Leone.

"_Oh… that woman who keeps smashing her boobs into his face." _She looked down at her budding, but otherwise rather flat chest once Tatsumi glanced away. "_I'm jealous." _

Feeling the urge to just get it over with, Sayo managed to stutter out, "H-hey… Tatsumi…"

Detecting a hint of nervousness in her voice, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing. I just wanted to ask… to ask…uh..." Sayo tripped over her words. Her cool exterior had completely crumbled away.

Completely oblivious to the girl's feelings, he asked, "Um, Sayo? Are you okay?"

"No, Tatsumi!"

His eyes grew wide. "Sayo, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm not. Just… just please, understand my feelings!"

The realization hit Tatsumi like one of Bulat's punches that woke him up to logic. "Sayo… are you.. con-"

"Y-Yes… Tatsumi… I love you, and I want to be with you forever," she slowly whispered. More confidently, she spoke in her normal voice. "I love you, and I want to be with you forever!"

Tatsumi was shocked. "Sayo… You've been my friend since always. And you will always be my friend. I've been trying to tell you that… I too… love you…" Now that he had uttered the words, he spoke them much more confidence. "Sayo, I've been trying to tell you for a long time that I love you!"

Sayo and Tatsumi stared at each other for a split second, then executed a tear-filled embrace.

After remaining very close to each other in a hug for a long time, Sayo broke the silence by asking the question, "Hey, Tatsumi…? Do you mind if we recreate our battlefield accident, only this time being intentional?"

Still in an embrace, Tatsumi thought for a second. "Huh? … OH!" Silently, he pulled himself backwards and gazed into Sayo's eyes. Then, without warning, he reached forward, cupped Sayo's face in his hands, and passionately kissed her. Sayo's eyes grew wide with surprise, but then she closed them and embraced the feeling of pleasure that her body had never felt before.

Their kissing silhouette shined brightly onto the floor behind them. After a little while, Sayo and Tatsumi simultaneously drew back for breath. Gasping, Sayo asked, "Tatsumi… is there room for one more in here?"

He smiled, his facial expression containing nothing but love. "Nope. There's only room for you, Sayo."

* * *

A light-green eye and a cream-colored eye slowly drew back from the two tiny knotholes in the door. Leone whispered to Lubbock, "That's our cue to leave, Lubba."

He nodded.

* * *

**I have an experienced writer helping me with this story. He/she's a great advisor, so I'll try to improve this story immensely. Remember, OC ideas can be submitted to me, because I will be combining ideas from your submissions to create a guy and a girl, so give me the ideas and you'll see the idea used somewhere! Imperial Arms suggestions are nice, too. I hope you enjoyed Sayo and Tatsumi's display of affection, and I'll see you in the next chapter. :) The Slain Executioner, slashing out.**

**Oh, by the way! I will combine the ideas from all of the OC submissions, but I will be creating an OC that is completely made by me, so keep an eye out for that. ;) **

**Slashing out for reals this time xD**


	5. Mission gone south

**AN: I've been sick, (I had the viral respiratory flu) I have make-up homework, and I have a lot of Driver's Ed. So that's why I haven't been able to produce a new chapter in a long time. Sorry. :P **

**Chapters will be a little longer now, so expect a little longer delay in between content. :) **

**Due to creative sparks given to me from other idea submitters, this story will be seeing a few more than planned OCs. This decision also heavily banked on the fact that I would have not been able to cram all of the ideas submitted into one person. However, they will not take over the story. It's simply for the fact that Night Raid was already understaffed to begin with. Remember, I am completely altering the story from the point after Bulat is killed. So, you may see names in different places, and the plotline is not as you thought it would be. Also, as a heads-up. Tatsumi is never kidnapped by Esdeath. I figured that's pretty important, so I figured I'd let you know. With that little pre-note, enjoy chapter 5. :) **

A pair of stone-grey eyes flashed with anger. "Y-yeah, so what if we did? That's our business, not yours!" The owner of the eyes smacked a green-haired mullet and shoved him away.

A head full of brown hair with a perm struggled to remove the pair of breasts smashed into his face. "Nee-san… fine! Fine! Okay, we did. Now stop, all right?" Tatsumi pushed free of Leone's most noticeable body parts. His face was still thoroughly flushed, however.

Sporting his perverted eyes and grin, Lubbock high-fived Leone. "The slight wall-bumping gave them away! All right!" Leone placed a hand on the shoulders of the couple that just recently… _lost _something. "Don't worry, you two. We'll make sure that _boss-u _hears first, followed by Akame, Mine…"

Tatsumi leaped away from Leone. "Don't tell a single soul!"

Leone just grinned. Sayo and Tatsumi's faces faded into a deflated, exposed, and humiliated look.

Lubbock laid a comforting hand on Tatsumi's shoulder, and ruffled Sayo's bedhead with the other. "Don't you worry, lovebirds, we won't stoop as low as to expose someone's _bangity-bang-bang_." He shot a commanding look at Leone after performing an obscene hip gesture, whose eyes widened but said nothing. "Right, Leone?"

Shocked at Lubbock's take-charge attitude, she agreed with a small grin on her cheeky face. "No problem, TatSayo. I was screwing around, so don't worry, all right?"

Mine sighed. "_Man, getting injured and not getting to hop onto the field of battle blows," _she muttered in her mind. As if Sheele and Bulat nudged her tear ducts, she began to drip liquid out of her eyes. "Sheele…! You were the best sister, friend, and assassin I'd ever met. Your sacrifice was noble, your death heroic, and I don't deserve a single moment I shared with you. I will avenge you…! I will! No matter what, I'll feed that bitch to a Danger Beast and let it rip out her body modifications one by one!" Seryuu Ubiquitous' blinded-by-justice face pushed Sheele's dead one aside and settled there, next to Bulat. Strangely enough, Mine's interactive daydream included Tatsumi, who jump-kicked Seryuu's face out of her mind. His hologram in her mind screamed, "Bitch! Don't ever soil the air which Aniki stands in!" Mine fully realized that Bulat meant as much to Tatsumi as Sheele meant to her.

Mine glanced at her arm. The injury left from Seryuu had miraculously healed since she had last checked. She thrust her skinny, petite body from the healing waters of the hot spring and rushed to slip on her dress. Pausing for a second to pick up Pumpkin, she spoke to the rifle of sniper rifles. "Sorry for the wait, Pumpkin."

Najenda slipped into the steam that the hot springs provided. Mine rushed right past her. Having originally come to the hot springs to inform Mine of a group meeting, she smiled to herself after hearing Mine's outburst of the need for revenge. "_We'll let her attend when she's ready. I think Seryuu would be wise to watch out." _Najenda turned and walked back towards the Night Raid HQ.

In the grand hall of Night Raid, or the area where assignments are doled out to the members, Akame waved Leone, Lubbock, Sayo, and Tatsumi over. The wielder of the Demon Sword gave them a small smile and a nod that signaled, "'Morning." Akame went on to explain that the entire unit of Night Raid was due to meet for an informational session in a few minutes. She glanced around with half-open eyes. "Where's Ieyasu?"

Tatsumi sighed. "Eh, he's still asleep… want me to go wake him up, Akame?"

She nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great."

Lubbock tilted his head. "Hey Akame, what's this meeting about?"

"I don't know… something about new members and zzz…" The fierce swordswoman was still half asleep.

Lubbock slumped. "Never ceases to amaze me… her sleepwalking is something to be admired," he muttered as he motioned at Akame, since Sayo was mildly creeped out.

Tatsumi returned slapping Ieyasu's face. The powerful teenage warrior refused to wake up, so Tatsumi jumped into the air, spun around and back-fisted Ieyasu in the face. "Hyaaaah!" Ieyasu bounced on his head then righted himself with his eyes now open. It was more of the shout that woke him up, though. "Hah? Oh, good morning, Tatsumi. Hey, it's Sayo, Leone, Akame… and, uh…" He struggled to remember Lubbock's name. "Oh yeah! And Lubbock. Wait… why am I here again?"

"Group meeting, Mr. Tolerance," Leone chuckled. Ieyasu blushed at the name.

Sayo raised a questioning eyebrow towards her friend. "Now what could that mean, Ieyasu?"

Shifting uncomfortably, Ieyasu just scoffed. "Figure it out for yourself. You were there, after all."

"What?"

After Najenda had settled into her chair, the meeting began. The faces of Night Raid were all equally serious, but Sayo and Ieyasu's faces were slightly twitching from the sheer excitement that they'd receive their first mission today. The leader glanced at them, but said nothing. Rising from her chair, she spoke with her hands on her hips. "All right, everyone. As you may have noticed, Night Raid has always been understaffed. Now, this is the core reason why I called you here. I'm going to go out and try to recruit new members within the next few days, which mainly consists of reaching into the Revolutionary Army and seeing if there are any fighters as skilled as all of you," she explained. "If you see any potential recruits for Night Raid, inform me and I will decide or not if he or she is worthy to carry our name. I've actually already located a very promising member for our team. She's half-blooded like you, Mine, and went through a similar childhood."

"That's cool and all, but there's no way she can outperform me as an assassin," the pink-haired sniper declared. Najenda smiled.

"I'll let you two fight for that title. Continuing on, there's a target that's recently made himself a threat. His name is Axel, and he's rumored to be a criminal rivaling the strength of General Esdeath." Najenda paused to let the accumulated information sink in. Without any response, she continued. "His Imperial Arms is named 'Deadman's Call," and there's pretty much no limit to what he can do using it. He can harden his skin into near-impenetrable armor, fly with the correct blood manipulation, and shoot blades of blood about ten times stronger than the former General Livers'."

"Then why isn't he the Capitol's most dangerous warrior?" Lubbock asked.

"Every attack he uses consumes his own blood. So once his blood level falls below a normal human's level, he'll start to feel woozy, and eventually keel over if he continually uses the techniques."

Akame nodded at Najenda's description. "He seems strong. But all we need to do is outlast him, correct?"

"Yes, to an extent. But he's rather fearsome with a blade as well, which is problematic. I'd say, from reports, his skill is on par with Tatsumi's sword-handling. Akame and Tatsumi, I want you two to engage him in battle. You're basically taking on Esdeath without the ice. I order you both to return alive."

"No problem, boss. We'll kill him and bring his Imperial Arms back with us," Tatsumi stated.

Najenda tapped her forehead and sighed. "That's where a little difficulty comes in when you speak of it that way," she muttered. "You see, his Imperial Arms is inside of him, since the Arms was broken a while back when it was created, and his body, well, absorbed the damn thing when he discovered it, effectively making him part Danger Beast."

"Can we dissect him and retrieve the part of him that's the Danger Beast?" Akame asked.

"I'm not sure. However, you're more than welcome to see if the Imperial Arms is visible from a surgeon's point of view. So after you two bring him back dead, you're free to try and uncover why his body absorbed the Arms. However, this is all I can allow you to do. Any more would be rather cruel to the deceased." Najenda crossed her arms, letting everyone know that further dissection was not up for debate.

Tatsumi stuck out his tongue. "Ugh. I'll stay away from human dissection."

Akame teasingly patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Tatsumi. I'll do all the heavy lifting for you."

Sarcastically waving his hands in the air, he slowly drawled out his voice, accenting certain syllables to prove his point. "Oh, and I suppose you would like me to be your meal-runner if it takes too long, huh? I'd be HAPPY to help! I'd be very happy to see the dead body of Axel lying on a table as well, covered in blood and entrails!"

"You're acting like an idiot, Tatsumi," Akame stated. Her voice was cold, but her mouth was grinning ever so slightly and her eyes danced with the fire of humor. Tatsumi noticed these features and shot back, "And you're acting like you're too cool for the world."

Placing her hands on her hips, Najenda shook her head but smiled. "Fine political debate, you two. Dispatch immediately and come back with your lives."

"No problem!"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good."

Akame went off to change her clothes into something the public wouldn't recognize her as, and Tatsumi set off to look for his trenchcoat he always wore on missions in the town. They ran into the kitchen together, to retrieve their weapons since an early-morning hunt was usually in order to prepare breakfast. Lubbock saw them high-five after they thought they were out of sight. "_I know they're extremely strong, but Axel is… phenomenal. I hope my description of her keeps Tatsumi on his toes." _Lubbock thought back to the time when Leone was napping in his former bookstore and he explained how powerful Esdeath was to Tatsumi. Now, the bookstore had closed and its treasures moved to the HQ, since Lubbock's face had mysteriously appeared on the wanted posters. He shook his head. "_What the hell am I thinking? They'll do fine." _

Najenda wasn't done yet with her assignments yet. She pointed her good hand at Lubbock. "Lubba. Train Sayo and Ieyasu in the ways of Night Raid."

Lubbock smiled, bringing him out of his imaginings. He glanced at Sayo and Ieyasu. "Sure thing, Ms. Najenda." "_Sayo needs work on her back stance," _Lubbock thought. "_She's prone to a nasty sweep if someone of her caliber of stealth sneaks up on her." _Turning his mental focus to Ieyasu, he thought, "_He could use some assistance on sensing the unseen." _

Lubbock's lost-in-thought face terrified Sayo and scared Ieyasu. "What's he thinking of…," Sayo mumbled. She knew as well as anyone that this excellent strategian had a massive perverted streak. Her insides shuddered as she thought of something- unmentionable. Shoving her mental image away, she asked, "What do you have in store for us?"

"Just a little training where you two seem to have weak points exposed. You're already excellent fighters, but I'm going to transform you two into warriors, eventually," Lubbock shrugged and started writing down the objectives he had in mind for Sayo and Ieyasu.

With a determined finger pointed at the duo, Lubbock shouted, "Let's get started!"

After Sayo had changed into shorts and a tank top and Ieyasu had removed his shirt, Lubbock led them out to a rather dense forest where nearly no light shone through the tops of the trees. Using one hand, he flicked his strings over the treetops. After tugging on them to validate their security, he leaped up to the top of the nearest tree and climbed onto the strings. Running on the strong, bladed thread, he dashed to a point where he could no longer be seen by Sayo and Ieyasu.

"Can't see me? Good! Mine and Leone are somewhere in these woods as well, and they're armed with their Imperial Arms. They will approach you as if trying to kill you, but their control over their technique is among the best of the best, so you're in absolutely no danger. With my free hand, I can also use my strings and traverse the forest, waiting to wrap you up into a cocoon. Hehehe."

"So what are we supposed to complete?" Ieyasu shouted to the un-seeable Lubbock.

"Simple. Last as long as you can before you both are subdued by one of us. You're both experienced fighters, right? But you haven't seen how we operate! Expect to see what you won't normally see, and use your minds to find us, not your eyes. We're going to start after you now, and I'll be monitoring your process from up here. Best of luck!" Lubbock's enthusiastic voice vanished.

"They'll expect us to go in as a pair," Sayo observed. "Go in with me for five hundred paces then split off. Keep weaving in and out with me once in a while and we can get a read on what each other's seen."

"Sounds good." Ieyasu drew his axe and followed Sayo into the forest.

Akame had led Tatsumi on a much quicker road to the Capitol. This road was full of Danger Beasts that could transform once defeated. However, Akame occasionally took a leisurely walk along this path, albeit with a few interruptions here and there. The road was extremely wide, but the concrete, which was once gloriously paved, was now a wasteland of weeds and plant-type Danger Beasts. She glanced at the comrade she had begun to trust immensely. Sure, maybe he wasn't as physically able as Bulat, but there was something about him that seemed to shine through the younger man, as opposed to the…

Homosexual one.

Her mind laughed and sadly smiled at the thought of her deceased comrade. Bulat was never one to let Tatsumi go before making sure that he had fully learned what he had done wrong or what he needed to correct. Akame realized what was stronger in Tatsumi, and that was undoubtedly his determination. He possessed a will as strong as any of them at Night Raid, and his determination to rid the Capitol of evil was more evident than a few of his fellow assassins.

"Hey, Akame?" Tatsumi asked, effectively breaking her thoughts and forcing her to respond.

"What?" she replied, an overly-neutral tone in her voice.

"Do you… know anything about Incursio? Like, how its halberd spear can be activated?"

She smiled. "Incursio is technically still alive, so it's constantly evolving to suit your fighting style rather than Bulat's. I'm sure you've noticed how it became smaller, more agile, yet still retaining a lot of its strength. Remember, its adaptations can be mild to severe, so you may not know if the Neuntote is even the auxiliary weapon anymore."

Tatsumi was shocked. "So… I may not awaken a spear, but something completely different instead?"

The Demon-Sword wielder shrugged. "Who knows? It's just a theory."

Tatsumi placed his thumb and index finger under his chin in a thinking pose. "An Imperial Arms theory. But you're right, Akame, it's very possible. Maybe instead of Aniki's strong, powerful fighting style, it will quickly adapt to my speed, changing the spear into a…?"

"Bow," Akame said as she barely kept herself from laughing.

"W-what? Hell, no! More like a longsword," Tatsumi stuttered.

Just as quickly, Akame joined in. It was now a contest to see who could outlast the other in a competition to see who could name the most speed-oriented weapons. "A chakram would look ridiculous, but it would be very practical, considering it's ranged and you can go invisible for a while," she said.

"Dual-wielding shorter swords?" Tatsumi suggested.

"You were rather impressive with your match against Sayo, but I doubt it would create two swords for you," she replied. "More like a scythe, although you've never used one… that'd be impractical."

"But a scythe would be so cool," Tatsumi babbled. "Even if I couldn't use it…"

"Oh, I know. It's not exactly suited to a suit of armor, though…" Akame paused to let her horrible pun sink in.

Tatsumi's face resembled this: -_-' "Uh, Akame? That was horribly bad."

"I didn't ask for your review. Anyway, a sickle?"

"Oh, yeah! It's nice and quick, yet rather silent. And, that's what I would have made my primary weapon if Sayo didn't have to be so much goddamn faster than me. It would have looked bad if the second-fastest member of our trio used the weapon which required the most speed," he pouted.

Akame cheered him up. "But you're already above-average in the quickness department. You managed to hold off even me for a couple blows."

The young man sighed. "Yeah, but Sayo could've lasted longer since she's so fast…"

Attempting to avert his attention back to their game, she suggested, "Pistols?"

A cheerful, hatred-laced, and bile-coated voice rang from the top of a cliff. "I think you mean tonfas, Night Raid vermin!" A figure clad in armor- only on her breasts- with a giant, round, black-and-white dog by her side fired a hail of bullets from a modified set of tonfas atop the cliff. She wasn't very accurate, due to the long distance, but Tatsumi was forced to take cover behind a rock and Akame found refuge in the shadows of the nearby forest. She motioned to Tatsumi to go out and engage Seryuu while utilizing Incursio.

The stage of battle was a spacious one. Not the best situation for the close-range fighters Tatsumi and Akame. Rocks of all sizes were strewn about, large enough for someone to hide behind if standing or crouching. Off to the left, where Akame hid, was a forest that only grew on in that direction. Luckily, the forest grew on an incline, so Akame would come out to corner Seryuu if she followed the forest's path. Seryuu was on top of a plateau, and she was directly in the open. She had a clear shot at the two with her firearms, but she'd be in trouble if one of them made it to the overlook.

Tatsumi nodded, and his body became clad in a shining suit of armor. To Akame, the suit emitted a stronger sense of power than it did the last time he equipped it. It caught the radiant rays of the sun and blinded Seryuu for only a split second. Tatsumi saw this and took the opportunity to move behind a different rock, since his invisibility could not hold out very long just yet. Thankfully, there was a large amount of decent sized rocks for him to hide behind.

Thankfully, Seryuu didn't recognize his face from the distance they were at. His hood probably helped veil him as well. But he recognized that partial suit of armor with a skirt and that hyper voice. His eyes threatened to turn on the waterworks, since he'd be fighting Sheele's executioner. "_No! Be strong… take revenge for aniki, then me! Especially me… I'll kill her! I'll remove every last one of her modifications with my bare hands and throw each one into her face!" _The ground trembled ever so slightly with Tatsumi's anger.

While silently moving through the vegetation, Akame was concerned with the fact that engaging Seryuu would leave them worn out or injured, leaving them in no condition to fight Axel. They'd have to report back, heal up, then go after Axel again. But by then, where would he be…?

"I see you, Night Raid bitch! Coro! Number seven! Taizan's Cannon of Justice!" A horrible sound of an arm being bitten, followed by the whoosh of the energy beam as it streaked past Akame were heard from the cliff. Seryuu certainly had the advantage, but she seemed to have forgotten about Tatsumi. Akame glanced over at him after dodging another shot. How was he holding up?

Pretty well, I guess. Akame stopped to dodge another shot. He was slowly making his way to the base of the mountain, which then he would go invisible for the jump up the cliff. She grinned.

"I have to keep up too. We need to confront her at the same time." Akame took off running so suddenly that Seryuu's eyes grew wide. She quickly regained her composure and more frequently fired her Cannon.

"Where the hell did you two go, Night Raid?" Seryuu laughed with an inhuman smile plastered on her face. Akame glared at the shrill voice and kept dashing through the trees. Akame was sure she wouldn't be as foolish to attack us two-on-one… right? She pushed through the last layer of brush and leaped to the left to dodge a missile fired from Seryuu's arm cannon. It exploded on the bark of a dead, dry tree, and it caught fire.

It was the perfect entrance-backdrop for Akame.

"Night Raid… I finally get another chance to eliminate more of you!" Seryuu's maniacal grin looked as if it would overtake her face. The giant Imperial Arms she named Coro growled, and the ground mildly shook.

"Coro! Number one! Shinkou's Ball of Justice!" Seryuu extended her right arm and let Coro bite down on it. When it opened its mouth, a huge mace was attached to her arm. Seryuu swung the spiked ball around her as fast as she could, destroying rocks and trees when Akame tried to hide behind them.

A suit of armor jumped up and blocked out the sun for a few seconds. Instead of drawing its sword, Tatsumi spun twice and slammed his heel down on Seryuu's shoulder with a vicious, powerful axe kick. Instead of bone breaking, he heard the _clank _of metal against metal. The force of the impact knocked Seryuu to the ground, but Coro was pressuring Tatsumi before he could recover. He unsheathed his sword and shoved the blade into Coro's eye. The beast-dog let out a fearsome roar, and bared its teeth at Tatsumi, while healing its eye. It gaped its mouth open and tried to fall on him with its mouth.

"What the hell?!" Tatsumi cried. "Oh, it's organism-based… It's organism-based! Akame! Give it a shot!" Tatsumi parried a bite from Coro and sliced the top row of Coro's teeth off. It grunted, and tried to bite its teeth a few times.

Akame leaped up and extended her sword downwards, to piece the top of Coro's body. Seryuu took aim at the falling target, but all Akame said was, "Cover me, Tatsumi."

Launching a flying side kick into Seryuu's midriff, a rather boyish shout came from the otherwise intimidating suit of armor. "Bitch!"

The Demon Sword plunged deep into the body of Coro, and its cursed poison seeped from the blade into the bloodstream. Except Coro shook Akame off of his back and was apparently unharmed by the poison. She tried again, and Coro let loose a roar that stopped Akame from moving for a split second. It was just enough for her to lose her balance and fall to the ground, and for Seryuu to swing the mace around for a brutal strike to pummel Akame into a bloody mess.

Using Incursio's added strength, Tatsumi grabbed the mace and kept it from smashing Akame. Quick as lightning, she got back on her feet and severed the chain of the Shinkou's Ball of Justice. Unfazed, Seryuu kept up the pressure by firing one of her tonfas, and called Coro to her side. The big dog knew what was coming, and its giant teeth grinned in anticipation.

"Coro! Number 3!" Coro grew his arms and legs but stayed out of Berserker mode, and chomped down on Seryuu's left arm. When he opened his mouth, a blade three times the length of Akame's body height appeared.

"After I kill you, what should I name this blade?" Seryuu laughed. She spit a blob of saliva from the hysteria she was in. "Justice excision? Blade of the right?"

She spun the blade in a circular motion, forcing the two to jump in the air. Coro extended his arm and grabbed Tatsumi, forcing Akame to dodge and free Tatsumi, which she failed at doing. Coro threw Tatsumi into his mouth and swallowed him whole.

"Tatsumi…!" Akame shrieked. She clenched her teeth. "You broke your promise, bastard."

Falling into a creature's mouth is terrifying. The multiple rows of teeth crushed his left arm and nearly broke his leg, but his distress awoken Incursio's auxiliary weapon, which was no longer the Neuntote, but a knight's claymore and a body-sized shield. Before Coro could decimate the rest of him, he pierced Coro's insides with the tip of his new blade and the tiny hole quickly opened into a gaping orifice, big enough for Tatsumi to crawl out of. The organism Arms shook violently at the new hole made in itself, and struggled to heal back up before Tatsumi could escape. However, he had already wiggled out of the body and used his good arm to keep creating holes in Coro. Using his superior speed, he filled Coro with holes faster than it could regenerate.

Not noticing Tatsumi just yet, Akame engaged Seryuu with a colder-than-usual glare. Her perception was that Tatsumi was eaten and she had lost him. The crazy justice girl struggled to hold off Akame, who was furiously attacking with all she had. She didn't notice Coro charge a beam of energy and shoot it at her, though.

Switching the sword to his bad arm, he brought the shield up to meet the beam. The impact knocked him back several feet, but the shield absorbed much of the blow, and he didn't feel too bad from the shockwave that resulted afterwards.

Akame noticed Tatsumi saved her life, and her face was shocked. Once her face recovered, it faded into a smile; complemented by warm eyes. She turned her attention back to Seryuu, who motioned for Coro to use Berseker.

"Coro! Activate Berserker!" Seryuu's voice held a desperate tone, as if she had underestimated these assassins to begin with.

Coro's body expanded again and again, and his arms grew substantially, effectively powering him up. Seryuu called him to her side and screamed, "Coro, number 8!"

Coro enthusiastically chomped down on her other arm that wasn't a blade. When the beast opened its mouth, a large arm used for battering appeared. Both of her arms were weapons, and Akame stayed wary of her legs, since they possibly contained weapons, as well.

"Go after Coro, Tatsumi. That hole-opening blade can probably find where the core is, then destroy it."

The suit of armor; Incursio, nodded. He hid the shield and went after Coro, who was waiting for him with an ear-to-ear snarl on its face. Coro threw a punch at Tatsumi, but he slid underneath the arm and jabbed his claymore into the bicep of the huge monster. It flinched and drew back its arm, but didn't fall.

"Where is your goddamn core?" Tatsumi mumbled to himself as he swept Coro's legs from underneath it and slashed a hole in its back. The hole steadily expanded before Coro sealed it shut again. It growled, and began flailing its arms to try and get a hit on Tatsumi. Coro repeatedly smashed the ground, but the nimble young warrior clad in armor repeatedly dodged albeit being injured.

"You're a boring fight," Tatsumi mocked. "Why don't you step it up a notch?"

Coro's body deepened two shades of red and extended his arms further. Simultaneously swinging its arms and shooting energy beams from its mouth, Tatsumi was forced to pick up his pace.

"I didn't mean it literally…" he mumbled and took a punch straight to the chest. He flew back and smashed into the rock face behind him. Thankfully, Incursio cushioned the blow, but his body experienced a strong sense of shock.

His injured arm didn't appreciate the impact very much, and it screamed at him to stop. Tatsumi gritted his teeth and stood up again, determination flowing through his blood. "Good hit, you dog bastard. But I'm going to find your core and exterminate you!"

Coro roared and stamped the ground. The force from its foot left a crater in the ground and it charged at Tatsumi. He waited in an attack stance until Coro was almost upon him, then he thrust the claymore deep into the beast's stomach. The hole expanded further and further until Tatsumi could see a core deep inside of the beast, on the very bottom. He pounced into the hole and slashed the core into tiny pieces. Coro shuddered, growled, and then lay still.

Tatsumi hopped out of the hole in the dead Imperial Arms and noticed Akame was doing well in her fight. She had knocked Seryuu back several times, all while only receiving a couple strong arm blows from Seryuu.

The orange-haired crazy dropped to a knee and groaned. "I didn't expect two of you Night Raid scum…"

Akame lifted the flat end of the blade up against Seryuu's chin. "Tell me. Who were you targeting?" When Seryuu didn't answer, she pressed the blade harder against her chin. "Tell me."

She glared with intense hatred at Tatsumi and Akame. "Your strategian, Lubbock. Our task force, the Jaegers, could use an Arms like that." Despite the grave situation Seryuu was in, she managed to grin. "Fuck both of you."

An armored foot crashed into the back of Seryuu's head, and she gritted her teeth to avoid shouting in pain. Tatsumi let Incursio fade away, revealing a face of fiery eyes and snarling teeth. "Who're you to talk, you bitch? We knocked you down after you launched a sneak attack on us!"

"Not yet, you haven't." Seryuu set off a smoke bomb and disappeared somewhere. Akame shielded her eyes from the harmful smoke and Tatsumi re-equipped Incursio. He flinched and grabbed his left arm, which was broken by Coro, who lay in a heap of decomposing flesh off to the right of the two.

Somewhere, Seryuu shouted, "Stylish's minions! Show yourselves!"

Seryuu noticed her pet had been murdered. She ran over to the giant, dead monster and screamed, "COROOO!" She knelt by the creature for a while, sobbing. When she stood, her eyes were as cold as ice, but angry as blue fire. Her blade on her right arm gleamed in the sunlight and her battle arm quivered with anticipation of massacring both of them.

When the smoke cleared, Tatsumi and Akame found themselves surrounded by 13 heavily genetically modified humans. Some had large arms, some had large legs, and some were built for speed. Their weapons, however, were disastrously powerful, as four wielded Imperial Arms, and the rest had brutal and strong-looking weapons as well.

Tatsumi immediately jumped to be present at Akame's back, to cover all of the weak points. Akame set her eyes on the leader, who appeared to use a bow-type Arms. "Well, Tatsumi, we'll have one hell of a report to give to Najenda."

Tatsumi grinned, although Akame couldn't see it behind his intimidating suit of armor. "That's right. Hey Akame, I'm going to defeat more and seize the glory for myself."

Akame smiled, ever so slightly. "No, Tatsumi. You're going to live and keep your promise, since you scared me greatly with your little stunt."

Tatsumi scratched his head, despite the sticky situation they were stuck in. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that." He hefted his claymore. "But, I awakened the new Neuntote!"

As if they were not facing imminent doom, Akame replied by glancing at the claymore. "It's definitely suited to you, Tatsumi. You're doing well if Incursio evolved that quickly."

A minion of Dr. Stylish screamed, "Enough! Murder them immediately!"

The wielder of a large battle axe, a man with modified arms leaped forward, followed by a woman with a whip-sword. The whip was laced with small blades to rip and sever flesh, then tear the skin apart. The axe was the Imperial Arms Double-Bladed Axe: Belvaac, the axe of the former Three Beasts' member, Daidara.

Tatsumi recognized the axe, and shouted out, "Hey! Who gave you the Belvaac?"

The man replied with a brutal overhead strike, followed by a deep, throaty laugh. "I stole it from the Revolutionary Army. Your armor is no match for my axe and my strength."

Tatsumi was behind the man in a flash. "But can you match my speed?" he mockingly asked, and stabbed Neuntote through the stomach of the man. Rich, maroon blood spurted out of the now-gaping hole in his stomach, and his mouth. "Fu-fuck you… Incursio… you won way… too fast…" He collapsed, and Tatsumi withdrew his sword from the man's gastric region.

Knowing someone was going to attack him from behind, he used Incursio's enhanced strength and back-fisted a boy of about his age wielding a _katana. _The boy smashed against a rock, and coughed up blood.

Akame was doing fine, too. She had let the sword-whip woman kill another comrade of hers, then she killed the whip-lady, and finally she had poisoned another Arms user, the Imperial Arms Moonlight Sword: Shamshir _**(Super brief AN: before Wild Hunt got their hands on it.)**_ and he struggled to remain standing. Using the last of his strength, he summoned a powerful gale that blew Akame into a tree, and then he passed away.

Jumping out of the tree with only a few scratches, she was immediately surrounded by 5 members of the Stylish Squad. Three women and two men all primed their weapons and waited for her to make the first move. A man with an enhanced shotgun took aim at Akame; a woman with a morning star prepared to charge; a man with a full suit of armor and a sword and shield readied his defense; a woman with the Imperial Arms Cutter of Creation: Extase opened the giant pair of scissors; the boy who was slammed into the rock face took on a ready stance with his katana.

Happening within five seconds, the Demon Sword wielder jumped up, deflected a shotgun blast, kicked the knight in the head, stabbed the shotgunner in the head, punched the katana boy, parried a blow from the morning star user and poisoned her arm, slid underneath the Extase wielder and stabbed her through the back, and pierced the eyeholes through the suit of armor, effectively ridding the man of one of his eyes and poisoning his in the process. She looked at the boy, who was cowering in fear. "Don't kill me, Akame-san.. I'll serve you, protect you, or work for you. I'll do anything! Just don't kill me…!" The boy fell to his knees and begged with tears running down his blood-stained face.

With a cold look, Akame simply replied, "We'll see how well I'm feeling after my partner finishes off your comrades." She flicked the sword downwards to remove the blood.

Tatsumi was facing off against the remaining four members. He had killed a man with a battle arm much like Seryuu's and another man with two short swords. They lay on the ground with their bodies missing their stomach region. Tatsumi was stuck in the middle of the bow-woman and a man with a greatsword. The man with the greatsword swung down with all of his might on Tatsumi's left shoulder, and he howled in pain, but quickly brought his claymore up to slash the man across his chest, effectively opening the man's skin to expose his rib cage. Blocking an arrow of darkness, Tatsumi reached through the man's rib cage and tore out his still-beating heart, and chucked it into the man's face before he died. The man's face was pained and shocked in his final moments; splattered with blood from his own heart.

All that was left were Seryuu and the woman with the elemental bow. Akame had tied the boy to a tree and stepped up to Tatsumi's side. She glared at Seryuu. "If you can't beat us with five Arms users and nine experienced, modified warriors, there's no chance for you two."

Seryuu smiled her evil smile. "Justice will never fall to evil. We'll look you in the face, even against overwhelming odds, spit at you and come out as the victors," she declared. The woman with the bow said nothing, but readied an arrow of lightning. Tatsumi noticed it was aimed at Akame, so he dove in front of her to protect her from the paralyzing projectile. His suit of armor did nothing to shield his body from the electrical blast, and his body convulsed from the shock of being electrocuted. However, he did not shout, scream or yell, but shakily stood up and readied his claymore for the final showdown. "We… can't lose to... " he paused. "The likes of you…" Tatsumi passed out, and Akame turned her attention back to the duo. Could she really take both of them on at the same time?

She hefted Murasame. She's have to find out the hard way.

Using her blazing speed, she was upon Seryuu in the blink of an eye and quickly slashed at Seryuu's head. Seryuu barely dodged the cursed blade and retaliated with a swing of her battle arm. Akame jumped up and kicked the arm into the ground, making Seryuu fall over. Taking the precious nanoseconds to attack the bow-woman, she dodged an arrow of fire and slashed upwards between the woman's legs. The woman split her bow in two and blocked the blade with her half of the bow/blade. Seeing as this wouldn't work, she swiftly swept the legs of the archer then turned back to Seryuu. She decided to keep Seryuu in the middle in hope of having the archer misfire and hit her comrade. This didn't work, although the archer had to fire around Seryuu to try to hit her, which was a little handier for Akame.

Tatsumi forced his battered body up and rushed towards the fighting going on. He swung his claymore with both hands in a ferocious blow to the block of the archer, which knocked her back a few feet, effectively breaking her guard. To finish her off with flair, he disappeared for a second, then reappeared in front of her without his armor on. Staring her straight in the eye, he inserted his claymore into the left breast of the woman, and she gasped in shock as her body produced a large, rapidly growing hole where her heart used to be. She keeled over and died, dropping the Imperial Arms Heavenly Division: Excision of the Holy Ones.

Akame had knocked Seryuu to the ground, pinning her arms, legs and body to the ground and had plugged all of her orifices where a gun barrel could be hiding. She poised Murasame, ready to destroy the justice freak who had murdered her comrade, Sheele. She was interrupted by Tatsumi.

"Wait!" he screamed, limping over to Akame. "She has a self-destruct mechanism!"

Akame glared down at the girl she had subdued. Eyes filled with hatred, she spit in Akame's face, then rolled her eyes up in her head. A faint, muffled ticking sound was heard, and Akame's eyes widened.

"We need to get out of here!" Tatsumi yelled, and picked up Akame and jumped as far as he could into the air, away from the soon-to-happen explosion. In three seconds, the valley was shaken from the bomb inside Seryuu Ubiquitous' psychotic head. Tatsumi was thrown down from the blast, cushioning Akame's fall, but adding more injuries to his own.

A sharp cry of pain escaped from Tatsumi's mouth, and he let Incursio fade away as he writhed on the ground in agony. His rib was cracked, his shoulder and collarbone shattered, and his body was shocked and battered. Akame rushed over to look at his wounds. After quickly examining his injuries, he sighed. "Nothing fatal, but you'll be sore for a few months."

He groaned. "Damn great. Now I have to sit out on missions," he griped.

Akame picked him up and carried him in the direction of the Night Raid HQ. "Now it's my turn to save you," she declared.

"Huh?"

"You shielded me from that electrical arrow. And you cushioned my otherwise-fatal fall from the blast," she said with admiration. "You're truly an excellent and selfless warrior, Tatsumi. You did very, very well."

Tatsumi blushed, and scratched his head. "Thanks, Akame. Thanks for your help here," he laughed. Noticing Belvaac lying on the ground, he poked Akame's shoulder, making sure to avoid her breasts. Akame noticed this, and grinned in her mind. He was trying to stay devoted to his woman. "Hey, Akame? Shouldn't we pick up these Arms and bring them back to see if they're compatible with Ieyasu and Sayo?"

As if the thought never dawned on her, she snapped her fingers. "Good idea. You hold them."

Holding an axe, bow, longsword, and a giant pair of scissors proved difficult for both of them, but Akame eventually carried the two of them back to base and collapsed on the floor of the grand hall in front of Najenda.

The leader of Night Raid stared at the stolen, other stolen, another stolen and missing Imperial Arms and asked, "Where did you get these?"

Panting, Akame gasped, "We… were ambushed by Seryuu Ubiquitous and a squad of 13 modified soldiers, some with Arms," she moaned. "We won, barely."

Najenda's eyes widened and she stared at them for a few seconds. Then, she started applauding. "Tatsumi, Bulat would be extremely proud of you today. Akame, you work incredibly with Tatsumi. You're both highly skilled, and it would greatly damage Night Raid, emotionally and in level of skill, greatly if we lost either of you."

Tatsumi and Akame's eyes glimmered. "Boss…!" It wasn't every day Najenda handed out extensive compliments like these.

Lubbock rushed into the room. "Holy mother of god! The Belvaac, Extase…"

Mine was immediately in the room. "EXTASE?" she ran over to the scissors and gingerly picked them up. "What vermin had been using you, Sheele…?" Tears dripped onto the blade of the scissors.

Lubbock cleared his throat and continued. "... the Shamshir and the Excision of the Holy Ones!"

Akame turned to Lubbock. "Lubba, you know the bow Arms?"

He performed a flair of his hands. "Of course. What else does a strategist do when he isn't training his comrades? The Imperial Arms Heavenly Division: Excision of the Holy Ones is a bow that can shoot a random arrow of fire, water, lightning, light, or darkness. The bow is two blades, and the user has an indefinite amount of arrows. The blade can be split into two short swords that can be used for dual-wielding, or it can be spun as a unified blade to deflect projectiles. There is no drawstring, which requires the Arms to immensely trust the user with its power." He paused, and glanced at Sayo scolding Ieyasu for something in the other room. "... someone like Sayo."

"That's really cool. I wish I could use a bow," Tatsumi said as he grimaced in pain.

Najenda noticed the grimace. "You're hurt. We need to tend to you immediately."

Mine gave him a shoulder, and they walked off to the medical room. "Thanks, Mine."

"No problem, Tatsumi. Just don't expect this treatment all the time when you're hurt," she scoffed. In her heart, though, she was excited being so close to her crush.

Tatsumi sighed. "Well, all right."

Mine smiled.

"... and that's why you never leave your back exposed," Sayo said as she scolded Ieyasu.

Ieyasu looked exhausted. "Yeah, Sayo. I get it."

Lubbock called out from the other room, where everyone else was. Tatsumi and Akame had returned, and she wanted to go welcome him back.

"Hey Sayo! Get in here!"

Sayo walked into the room where Tatsumi was leaving. He caught a glimpse of Sayo in a tank top with a towel wrapped around her neck, and donning shorts. Her petite figure and the well-refined legs she possessed threatened to give him a nosebleed, but he controlled it.

Her eyes immediately caught sight of the silver bow with black streaks all over it. "It has no drawstring, Lubba," she complained.

Lubbock simply waggled his finger. "Ah-ah-ah, just pick it up."

She picked it up, expecting a headache from rejection. However, she felt as if someone had unlocked something deep within her and a thin, white line appeared between the tips of the blades.

"Pull it back, but don't let go," Lubbock instructed.

She did. A flaming arrow of fire appeared out of nowhere, ready to be fire. She released the invisible string, and the arrow faded. "Wow… this is really cool. Did this Arms accept me?"

Najenda looked skeptical. "Wait a few seconds." Everyone waited in silence, which was broken by Sayo. "No headaches or anything."

Najenda smiled. "Congratulations, Sayo. You've found your Imperial Arms, the Heavenly Division: Excision of the Holy Ones."

Her eyes opened wide. "THAT'S it's name?! That's so awesome!" She jumped into the air with a fist-pump. "Thanks so much, Akame and Tatsumi!"

Akame smiled weakly. "No problem, but it would be Tatsumi who suggested we bring the Arms back."

Sayo tilted her head. "Oh, then I'll have to thank him properly."

Leone, who silently entered the scene, elbowed Lubbock in the ribs. He grinned.

Ieyasu strolled in with his hands behind his head. "Hey, boss, can I try the axe? It looks interesting."

Najenda swept her hand with a flourish, as if she was welcoming him to a banquet. "Be my guest."

Ieyasu picked it up, hefted it a couple times, and grinned. "It's accepted me."

Leone whistled. "That axe has seen a lot of action, Ieyasu. It's been used by the Three Beasts' Daidara, a soldier in the Revolutionary Army, and even General Esdeath has held it at a time."

Ieyasu stood, stunned. His expression was taken aback with horror, then he dropped the axe to the floor. It clattered horribly.

Everyone stood in shock at his action. Lubbock broke the silence by shouting, "Why the hell did you do that?"

Ieyasu was staring a hole into the ground when he replied, "I refuse to use a weapon that's attacked a comrade of mine."

Everyone was taken aback at how passionate he was about this. "I'm sorry, Ieyasu…" Lubbock mumbled and turned his head away. "I had no idea you felt that way."

Ieyasu looked up with a grin. "It's all right. Who could've known, right?"

Smiling at his easy-going attitude, Lubbock walked off with him, talking about how their training went. "Now, when I stringed your axe and ripped it away from you…." The duo went away talking about how Ieyasu could improve his speed.

Akame stiffened. "Uh, oh…"

Leone tipped her head. "Now what did you do, Akame?"

She picked up Murasame from the floor and rushed out of the room, yelling behind her, "I captured one of their comrades and tied him to a tree, but I forgot to bring him back!"

Leone was shocked. "Well, that certainly sounds like you, Akame… poor kid."

Later that night, after dinner and a board game that Lubbock won at, everyone headed off to bed. Sayo showered, dressed in her pajamas, and crawled into bed, rather tired.

"Eh…"

She daydreamed as she tried to fall asleep. Sayo saw her and Ieyasu fighting criminals, wandering the woods lost with Tatsumi, and training with the two boys. Gradually, her thoughts drifted more and more to Tatsumi, who she was becoming more attracted to. He was so much stronger than when they had left the village together. For god's sake, she had even been defeated by him when all he used was two swords. She smiled. Only determination to meet him head-on and surpass him flowed through her body.

Sayo glanced at the two bows leaning against the wall. Grinning, she locked her eyes on Excision of the Holy Ones. The bow was so cool! According to Lubbock, she could shoot arrows of light, darkness, fire, water, lightning, and more arrows can be added over time! It even splits into two blades, which is remarkable as well.

Her thoughts drifted to Night Raid. They were a really special group, and Sayo had no doubts about fitting in. She wondered if they'd be seeing any new members from Najenda's search. Would they be male or female? Ranged or close-combat? She shook the thought from her head. Wondering wouldn't do any good now. Sayo rolled over and slowly closed her eyes and attempted to go to sleep.

She would have accomplished it, too, if it wasn't for Tatsumi butting in and appearing in her mind.

"Eeeeeh, fine…" she hopped out of bed and padded down the hallway to see an injured warrior-friend of hers. And, quite hopefully, her boyfriend.

She poked her head around the doorway. Tatsumi was sound asleep, but his good arm was draped over the pillows as if he expected someone to sit there. Tiptoeing to the right side of the bed, she slowly, softly, and gently slipped into the bed behind his and nuzzled up against his shoulder, gently holding his good arm.

She heard him inhale and mumble, "Mm… Sayo… hi…" he rested his head on her head, then continued snoring.

Sayo smiled at his action, cuddled in just a little closer to her significant other, then closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

**Thanks for reading. I'm really sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, but it was long, I've been sick, and I've had a lot of make-up homework to do. Again, I apologize, and will try to be producing chapters as best I can in the future. **

**OC ideas are still being taken, so submit any lingering ideas in your heads. **

**And now I present the lesser-known-character profile section of the AN. This week, we're looking at Sayo, proficient archer and short swordswoman. **

**Sayo is a girl with lower-back-length black hair and deep, stone-grey eyes. She commonly wears a flower accessory on the right side of her head, implying her right-handedness. Sayo is usually calm and collected, but becomes frazzled and erratic if disturbed. She's an able strategist, and competes with Lubbock to develop a superior battle plan. Surprisingly; she can't cook, that job was handed to Tatsumi. She commonly wears a mid-thigh dress with lavender and white designs. She struggles against enemies she can't outspeed and are more powerful than she; since she doesn't have much physical strength. She's always had a crush on Tatsumi, but never expressed it. Her only fear is chakrams, for an unknown reason. She's skilled in hand-to-hand combat, but is outclassed by Tatsumi in this area. **

**Sayo was raised in the same village as Tatsumi and Ieyasu. Never experiencing luxury, they made do with what they had, producing three scrappy young warriors. Her childhood consisted of playing with Ieyasu and Tatsumi, training with them, and scolding them. She lost both of her parents to a Danger Beast, which gave her strong motivation to become a powerful warrior. Sayo has a strong competitive spirit, refusing to back down unless defeat is inevitable. She isn't afraid to to use trickery to win, making her a valuable strategian. Her signature move she created is named "Illusion of Godspeed," in which she attaches a smoke bomb to the end of an arrow, blinds her opponent, and as quickly as lightning strikes from behind before they can react. Specializes in ranged attacks.**

**That's all I have for you this time. I'm going to be off, to play my new copy of Super Smash Brothers for the 3DS. **

**The Slain Executioner, slashing out. :) **


	6. Love progression and noobs

**AN: So, my copy of SSB3DS came in the mail 2 days ago, and I've already played it for 20 hours… Yeah. my life is nonexistent at this point. But hey, if you have a 3ds and SSB3DS, hit me up with your FC and we'll smash, all right? **

**Thank you all SO much for reviewing, favoriting, and following. The continued support and love you guys supply me with drive me to keep writing for you people, not just for fun. **

**thatrandomguy, Axel is going to be used for a very specific purpose. If you'd like to know what in advance, which means spoilers, send me a PM. As for the rest of the people who sent me OCs, keep waiting. Your OC, or part of its premise will be introduced later, I promise. **

**Ouch, my wrist cramps from excessive SSB3DS hurt badly. Whatever. I really hope you like where this story is going, and I ask that you tell me if you want to see more stuff like this from me in other anime/games. **

**Really…? No one caught the Game Theory reference? I'm disappointed. :/ :3**

**Oh, did you like the updated description? I think it's a better one. **

**Just so you know, a boy about Tatsumi's age will be joining Night Raid shortly, as in this chapter. All I'll tell you is that he's got a chakram-whip and a katana. But… Since I want this to be an interactive story of sorts, the most popular vote will be the type of Imperial Arms he gets. I won't tell you exactly what it is until he acquires it, but it will be in that premise. So, here's your options: **

**Would you rather see a: **

**A: Physical-based Arms**

**B: Ranged-based Arms**

**c: Mixed Arms**

**D: Unique, unexpected Arms**

**Well, now with that out of the way, here's chapter 6 of Sayo and Ieyasu: Killers of Fate.**

Akame let her thoughts wander as she jogged to the place where the boy she captured was restrained. A guilty look was plastered on her face as she ran, since she slightly felt bad for the poor kid who was tied up against a tree. Knowing the woods by heart, she quickly and easily reached the boy with no interruption at all, except for two hordes or Danger Beasts that she eliminated in three strokes of her blade.

Reaching the battle-ravaged wasteland that had once been a rocky field, she looked around for the tree that the boy she captured was tied to. She remembered she was higher up on the rock face when she caught him than usual, so she ran into the forest that climbed up to the place where Seryuu had first taken aim at herself and Tatsumi. A faint voice called out as she ran past.

"Help… me…"

Akame stopped and turned around. Whoops, she passed him.

With a quick slash of the deadly, poison-infected sword, she set the teenage boy about Tatsumi's age free. He gasped and rolled over into a crouching stance, ready to fight but not win. "Akame-san…! Please don't hurt me…!" He started to beg for his life again, even though their last encounter ended with the same words.

Feeling more sympathy towards the cowering young man, she simply placed the neutral look she always sported on her face. "I won't. However, my boss would like to question you about your actions in the forest, so close to Night Raid's base. If you don't cooperate, I'll be forced to kill you. Got it?" Her mind poked at her conscience. "_You may have been too rough, Aka-chan." _Replying to her inner thoughts, she mentally scoffed. "_All for the greater good. If I'm to turn him into one of us, we need to toughen him up." _Secretly, Akame wished for more comrades she could place undying trust in, so she feverishly looked for more members when no one else was observing her actions.

She heard an audible gulp. "Y-yes, ma'am," he timidly replied.

Ever so faintly smiling at his reaction, she said, "Call me Akame. Anyway, I'll leave these ropes off of you." she bent over to pick up his katana. Purely by accident, the boy caught a glimpse of her panties. When she turned around to help him up, she was greeted by a blonde boy with a ferocious nosebleed. Thinking only for a split second, she slapped him.

"Perv."

Wiping the blood from his nostrils, he pleaded his case, albeit unsuccessfully. "I'm sorry, Akame-san! I couldn't avert my eyes, since I was pressed up against this ever-present tree trunk!" All he got was a glare in return.

"Anyway. Come with me, and I'll escort you back to HQ. If you try to run, I'll stick this katana of yours through your neck and leave you here. Deal?" "_You're being too scary!" _Her mind screamed.

"Um, y-yes, Akame-san," he said. The boy quivered as he replied.

After walking for a few awkward minutes, she decided to start a conversation, which was unlike her. "So, boy, what's your name?"

"My name? Ah. My name is Juu Tachibana, and I'm from the a village just outside the Capitol. I'm Japanese, and English is my second language," he said with a lingering Japanese accent. That explained why she was called Akame-san as well.

"I see. What weapons do you use or what can you wield successfully?"

"Let's see… I have a chakram-whip I invented myself, I can use the katana, and I had some intensive training in hand-to-hand combat."

Whipping around at the speed unmatched by any other, Akame threw a punch at Juu. His eyes flashed as soon as her foot pivoted to turn, and he brought his foot up in a powerful sweeping motion to knock her fist away. Akame's eyes widened in surprise, and she stepped back. "Incredible. The only person to match my speed is Sayo who's new, and she struggles to keep up, and the deceased Zank," she uttered.

Juu scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Akame-san. It's a natural reaction."

She nodded. "I understand, Juu." She noticed how weakly his foot struck her wrist. "Do you trade strength for speed, then?" Akame glanced down at his dangerously skinny arms and legs.

"Yeah, I kinda do…" he stuttered. He tried to shift his position to keep from looking scrawny. "However, my instructor said that my reflexes were ten times as fast as his best student, so I guess it makes up for the lack of power somewhat," he explained with a nonchalant shrug.

"Then why did my comrade and I knock you back so quickly?" she asked. Akame didn't want to reveal Tatsumi's identity just yet. She still found Juu suspicious.

"Well, I was… scared. The suit of armor terrified me, and you're a very scary person, Akame-san. I don't mean that…! I mean..!" Juu stumbled over his words and tried to apologize.

"I get it, don't worry," Akame giggled. "So, a choke because of fear?"

"Y-yeah." Juu relaxed, knowing his life would continue.

They continued walking for a little bit. Suddenly, Juu said out of nowhere, "Don't you love a beautiful sunset?"

Juu continued. "The sun was setting over the horizon, casting a gorgeous shade of pinks, reds, and bright oranges. The sun looked like a ripe cantaloupe that was freshly peeled set on a display of the brightest colors. The glow from the sunset projected a wonderful tone of mixed orange-pink onto the clouds, which seemed to blend together as one, unified, single mixture of metaphorical juices. As the woman looked over at her man, the sun continued to set, and the couple was left under the moonlight sky, twined together in love as extensive as the stars."

Akame stopped walking. "Where did that come from?" She was absolutely flabbergasted at the beauty of the words that just came out of this boy's mouth. She struggled to keep her colder image up.

"Oh, it's for a story I'm writing. Sorry if that was sudden, I just wanted to know."

Akame smiled. It was an inviting sight for Juu, who was used to her cold face. "That was beautiful. You're a great writer if you came up with that on the spot."

Juu laughed. "Thanks, Akame-san." They continued walking.

Before long, the duo had reached the Night Raid base. Akame turned to Juu as she sighed.

"What's with that, Akame-san?"

"Well… I'm going to have to be cold to you when I introduce you to the group, just for the effect and cause," she said.

"I know. Be normal, as if you're just bringing in another prisoner," he stated. Akame giggled mentally at the image he must have of Night Raid. The Capitol certainly twisted their name a lot.

"Brace yourself, Juu."

"I have."

Tatsumi flinched as he bumped his broken arm against Mine, reaching for the polish. Tatsumi kept Incursio in tip-top condition every single day, since he believed Bulat was still with him in the sword. Mine decided to join him, just in case he decided to reveal some inner thoughts.

"Ergh."

Mine laughed. "Haha, be more careful, idiot."

"Shove it up yours, Land Mine."

"Don't call me that, stupid!" Mine said as she exploded.

Tatsumi chuckled. "See?"

The two of them fell silent again, tending to their respective weapons. The young warrior looked down at Incursio, which held so many valuable lessons and memories. Tatsumi thought of Bulat and how well he trained him. He loved how Aniki was hard on him in training, yet friendly outside of it, besides the occasional wake-up-punch, as Tatsumi liked to call it. Grinning to himself, he said out loud, "Hey, Mine?"

She replied with a humph in her voice. "What?"

"Do you think it would be cool if I could train a person into a warrior like Aniki did with me?"

Mine was taken aback at the random question, but she simply replied, "It'd certainly be interesting. I mean, I get that Bulat trained you really well, but I'm just not sure if you'd be able to pull off the same regiment that Bulat had for you," she stated. Truthfully, she was sure he could do it.

However, that wouldn't sound very Mine-ish, would it? She kept her inner thoughts to herself.

Tatsumi sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He shrugged. "It was just interesting food for thought, that's all."

"It was just interesting food for thought, that's all."

Najenda turned and walked away after hearing those words. Muttering to herself, she said, "And that food may very well become a feast, if what Akame said is true."

She slapped her face. "Goddamn, I need to stop spying on people's private conversations." The Night Raid leader shrugged. "Whatever. Can't help being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Ieyasu was down in Lubbock's library, studying a little bit about the Lubora disease. He looked up.

"Hey, Lubbock?"

Lubbock mumbled a distracted, "Eh?"

"Got any more books describing Lubora? I finished this one too."

The strategian stood up. Mumbling to himself, he walked over to a bookshelf, examined it for a while, then looked at a different shelf. Finally, he found one last book dedicated to Lubora, and tossed it to Ieyasu.

"Here. This is the last book I have on Lubora, but there might be more in my library in the Capitol." Lubbock spun with a flourish and walked back to his desk, where he quickly became immersed in his work again.

This book was different. It was written by a scientist who was immediately executed for his work after it was submitted. As a result, very few copies of his book titled, "The Truth Behind Lubora," are in existence today, as many were burned by the Capitol. Lubbock explained this without reading the book prior to giving it to Ieyasu.

The book opened with a bang. Ieyasu's eyes and brain were shocked. Was this the truth?

"_Lubora? More like man-made-disease-designed-to-eliminate-lesser-humans. Lubora is a mix of Malaria and Cyanide. Cyanide causes the fast death that many Lubora victims suffer from, ranging from a few minutes or a few hours, and the Malaria provides the gruesome side-effects the unlucky soul has to endure before facing death." _Ieyasu shuddered. He remembered the high fever, extreme fatigue, violent vomiting, and pounding headaches all too well, but he pressed on further into the book.

_Even scarier, through further observations, I found that it was man-made. I was even able to assemble a rough copy of Lubora in my lab, combining the two diseases to create the horrific disease. The patient I tried it out on, however, seemed a little different halfway into the experiment. It looked like… his eyes were electrically charged, as if he could shoot beams of electricity at any moment." _

Ieyasu leaped from his chair and dove onto Lubbock's desk. "LUBBA! Look at this!"

Lubbock quickly grabbed his work and held it up to the ceiling to shield it from Ieyasu's exciting onslaught. "What the hell, Ieyasu?"

"Look! Look at this!" Ieyasu pointed to the paragraph describing the electrically-charged victim. Lubbock's eyes skimmed the page, mumbling the words. ""Observations… man-made… copy… Lubora? What? Uh… combining two diseases… different… electrically charged… shoot beams of… wait. Shoot beams?! Electrically charged?!" Lubbock shot a glance at Ieyasu's hand. "You may just have discovered the reason why you have your fiery power." He grinned.

"This is so cool! But… why do people differ?"

"Well, look in the book, dingus," Lubbock giggled.

Shooting a dirty glare at Lubbock, Ieyasu read the next paragraph aloud. "_My next victim produced a side effect of darkness, before she died. The next, water. The next, sound. And the last victim, who still survived, has control over his own blood. Apparently, his body absorbed an Imperial Arms that was an ancient Danger Beast. I don't know what it does to him." _

"Wow… so we're a part of history now, huh?" Ieyasu asked.

"Yeah, so far, only three people have survived Lubora… you, Axel, and Sayo."

Full of excitement, Ieyasu continued. "_I've been trying for years to decipher what makes the victims have control over what they received, but to no avail. I don't even know if it's a discovered element. It could be the soiled blood of an ancient Danger Beast, or a combination of chemicals, or a mechanically generated virus. I'm not sure. However; I'm certain of this: Next to no one survives Lubora, except those who have an Imperial Arms inside them." _

Ieyasu leaped up and shouted, "Hah! Screw you! I don't have an Arms and I survived!"

Lubbock smiled in amusement. "Sit down, goofball." He continued reading, in place of Ieyasu.

"_Furthermore, the powers are extremely self-destructive. While it's true the infected can summon all kinds of elemental powers, the chance of Lubora striking them again is even more powerful. But, as my surviving test subject demonstrated, if you survive the effects twice, you have massively powerful elemental forces at your disposal. If two surviving Lubora victims were to reproduce, the child would possess a mix of the two. For example, if the father could control electricity, and the mother could manipulate darkness, the child would possess a healthy mix of the two. Unfortunately, the child doesn't usually last long as the powers they have quickly kill them." _

Ieyasu's eye twitched. "Uh…"

Lubbock spoke in a TV-announcer voice, pointing his finger in the air with a flourish. "BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!... Eh… never doing that again." He feebly sat down.

"_Little things, such as calling a column of fire to shield you from an attack, or a wall of water to pulverize a brick wall, will be generally harmless to your body. However, if you were to create an earthquake with your Terra abilities, you'd have a roughly 65% chance or so of creating a stronger Lubora disease in your body. You can use your infected body as a bomb, though. Plant it somewhere where you need a mass amount of people killed, and you have a second use for your dead body." _

"He's not very scientific-sounding, is he…," Lubbock stated blankly.

"I noticed that too," Ieyasu replied. "But this is the only book that describes Lubora as providing people with elemental powers. We have to take what we're given, right?" Ieyasu shrugged.

Lubbock closed the book they were staring at for the last half hour. "Now, I need to run over what you did wrong with our match yesterday."

"Ah, aha… fine…"

"_Hey! Ieyasu! Got any energy left?" _Sayo and Ieyasu had just finished their awareness training. Surprisingly, Ieyasu was only caught off guard once by Leone, who broke his guard but didn't succeed in knocking him down. Otherwise, he and Sayo successfully defended against every sneak attack, including Lubbock's strings.

"_Naturally," _the able-bodied warrior replied.

"_Well, get your fat AXE over here, because I'm going to spar with you, and you may not like how this is going to turn out." _Lubbock spoke matter-of-factly, in opposition to the arrogant claims that were often made in this context.

"_You seem awfully confident. I accept!" _Ieyasu pumped his hand holding his axe that was his entire body's length. The inverted blade of the axe shimmered as he positioned it directly under the sun.

Moving to the same field Tatsumi and Sayo fought on, with the Sayo-induced holes as well, they stood on their respective sides.

"_I'll show you how I'm always three steps ahead, never any backwards! That is a true strategian!" _Lubbock grinned as he spoke, and twirled his strings around his body with a spin. He extended them to create a complex arrangement of wires that formed a cross-pattern weave which created a shield. Lubbock called this his "battle stance."

Ieyasu spun his axe in a cyclone motion. The blade of the axe melted into one solid ring of twirling metal that actually reflected projectiles, save for the fastest arrow. "_But what if I destroy the ground you are required to step on?"_ Ieyasu shouted.

"_Then I guess I'll just have to stay far ahead of you so I don't encounter the broken ground!" _Twisting and forming his strings into a sword, the strings protruded from the various claws the Arms needed to use its intense practice and with the goal of perfection in mind, Lubbock was able to create a plethora of various weapons, from a retractable chakram to a crude, deformed morning star which still functioned the same; beating your enemies into a pulp.

Surprisingly, as lazy as Lubbock seemed, he was remarkably quick as Ieyasu attacked and defended. The two were at a standstill, clashing with the string-sword and the axe, until Ieyasu knocked Lubbock back with a vicious side-kick to the flat of the makeshift sword. Ieyasu stepped down, jumped high into the air, and attempted to smash Lubbock with an overhead axe kick. Then, just after Lubbock put up a guard to shield from the kick, Ieyasu shifted forward into a fully-charged punch. Lubbock guarded against the powerful blow, but he was knocked onto his behind from the force of the punch. Quick as lightning, Ieyasu swung his axe to break the strings forming Lubbock's sword.

Lubbock's eyes widened as Ieyasu was the first successful person to break his stringed weapon, of any sorts. The strings flew randomly in the air, but stayed attached to his glove. Lubbock rolled over as Ieyasu smashed the axe into the ground. His strategian mind smiled, but he plastered a look of terror on his deceiving face. "_The first step has been taken." _

Now on a roll, Ieyasu was on full offense. His attacks came swiftly and viciously, mixing a concoction of axe strikes, hand and foot techniques, and attempted leg sweeps. Lubbock was forced to dodge and duck to obtain an opportunity to retaliate. The strategian noticed that Ieyasu's techniques were perfectly executed, with no openings for retaliation. The axe wielder's eyes were intensely focused, his mind sharp, and warrior-smart.

Lubbock used his strings and propelled himself to the other side of the field by slamming them downwards in unison. He wiped his brow and grinned. "_No less than what I expected. Certainly a threat!" _He smugly smiled to himself. "_But… he fell right into my second step." _

Lubbock formed his strings into a chakram. His inexperience with the throwing weapon didn't matter in this battle. He kept one, subtle string attached to the chakram and threw it at Ieyasu.

"_Do you really think that a projectile is my weakness? Aha!" _He struck the circular blade, expecting it to bounce off of his axe. Instead, it emitted two threads which wrapped around the upper handle of the axe.

Lubbock shouted, "_Here's the third step!" _He completely disassembled the chakram and wrapped his strings around the handle of Ieyasu's axe. With a violent tug, Ieyasu found his weapon he relied on stripped away from him. He gasped.

"_What the hell?" _Ieyasu muttered. He struck a fighter's stance and prepared to go down swinging.

Instead of removing the axe from his strings, he left it attached and swung it around, like an Olympic hammer. His other hand was free as well, so he formed his sword once again with his left hand.

Ieyasu watched as the axe that he trained with was being swung around and used against him. Keeping his weight distribution 50/50, he braced for the worst, all while preparing some sort of counter-attack. Unfortunately, the process of developing a retaliation wasn't going too well, as Lubbock carefully made his way to Ieyasu, never breaking eye contact.

Even if Ieyasu were to develop a counter, Lubbock was already another step ahead of him. Ieyasu's eyes, stance, and demeanor did not alter one bit as Lubbock moved closer to him. The odds were against him, yet he refused to give up without trying to find a way out. An idea sprung into Ieyasu's head, all of a sudden. When Lubbock was still about 10 steps away, Ieyasu turned, scraped his fist on the ground, and flung the fire molding itself to his hand at Lubbock. The fireball was liquidized, but there wasn't time to perfect the texture of the pyrotechnic projectile.

Lubbock twisted to avoid the fireball, as it was rather large, but the edge of the flames barely nicked his cheek and left a slight burn mark. "_Whoops, that was my fault, Ieyasu," _Lubbock said. "_My fault for not seeing that coming." _Recovering, he grinned. "_A little burn is nothing! How's this?" _He disassembled his sword in his left hand and created five whips from the threads on each of his clawed fingers. He dove at Ieyasu, whipping the threads all with intense precision and accuracy. One struck Ieyasu across the arm. The blow was so vicious, so thin and on-the-mark that Ieyasu felt a sharp sting and a simple line of blood trickled out of his arm. He hissed as the blood stung his wound.

"_All right then…!" _Ieyasu thrust his hands crossed into the ground. Holding them relatively close together created one mass of flames, circling around his hands. With a quick uncrossing-x-motion, he flung a solid beam of fire straight through Lubbock's furious threads. But before the beam could reach the strategian's body, he retracted the strings to form body armor, effectively forcing the fire-beam to bounce harmlessly off of the threads. It fell to the ground, sizzling.

"_You see, Ieyasu, I knew what you were going to do from the start. You'd attack, and I'd project the image of being unable to defend…" _

"_That's because I saw you actually had trouble!" _

Growling, Lubbock yelled, "_Shut up! Then I'd wait until you'd knock me back, and steal your axe. From there, all I had to do was keep you from setting me ablaze. You're defeated, Ieyasu. You're a strong, able warrior, but you need to think strategically, not with this," L_ubbock stated as he hefted the axe. The threads were undone, and Ieyasu found his axe back in his hands.

"_Thanks, Lubbock…," _he sighed as he trudged away.

"... So, as a warrior, I'm going to train your mind to think three steps ahead of the opponent!" Normally, this kind of lecture would bore Ieyasu, but for a mysterious reason Lubbock made it interesting. Lubbock was clearly excited too, as he'd been wildly gesturing with his hands all the time. They had moved to the field where they earlier fought on, and Lubbock turned to face Ieyasu when they were in the center of the battlegrounds.

With a grin, the green-haired pervert drawled, "So, Ieyasu. Want to see some of the thread techniques I've been working on? No one else has seen these, so it'll be a secret between us."

"Sounds good to me," Ieyasu replied. "Maybe we can create a combination move, between my fire and your strings."

Lubbock snapped his fingers and grinned. "There ya go, already thinking ahead. Good work. All right, technique unknown to all except Ieyasu… _String kick_!"

The self-proclaimed lazy member of Night Raid leaped higher-than-expected into the air. Using his right glove, he wrapped his strings along his leg, and created a square club that extended the reach of his foot. The cube was about the size of his head, and it was created entirely out of bladed strings. Swinging his leg around in a perfectly horizontal line, he tore his club-foot straight through the trunk of a huge tree. The tree quivered, then fell right on top of Ieyasu, who was still shocked at the technique Lubbock developed on his own.

Luckily, Ieyasu reacted just in time and split the tree in half again to prevent himself from being crushed. "Holy hell! That's so cool! Do you think we could set your threads on fire?"

"We'll try it some other time. Now, check this out! _Simple complexity!_" Removing the strings from his leg with feminine grace and fluidity, Lubbock twisted, morphed, and shaped the threads into a huge sword with a flat edge for the blade and numerous spikes on the other end, preferably for impaling. It was three time his length, but also three times as light as a sword that Tatsumi fought with.

"Here, catch," Lubbock laughed as he tossed the great-sword, handle first at Ieyasu. He threw up his hands to block it, but was pleasantly surprised when it simply floated to the ground after gently tapping his forearm.

"Wow. Is it sharp as well?"

Pulling back the sword, Lubbock swung it behind him and severed three trees all in one blow. Then, he retracted the strings back into the claws adorning his fingertips with a grin. "How's that for sharp?"

Ieyasu was flabbergasted. "I haven't been able to cut down three in a row… and even then, I could only sever two and my axe had to be perfectly straight with no tilted angles... ," he muttered.

"Of course, you've seen my chakrams…," Lubbock giggled.

Making a punching motion, Ieyasu shouted, "Shut up! Stop rubbing it in!"

Lubbock stroked his hairless chin. "Hm, I'll show you one more secret technique," he stated as he began to swivel the strings around his arms. When he stopped, his arms were four times the length of what they normally were, thanks to the extension of the threads. The fists were also quite large, probably for battering and pulverizing. "Deceit's Retaliation!"

Ieyasu stared at the giant, string-formed arms that Lubbock created. He could even control the fists of the stringed hands by moving his own fist, which meant an incomprehensibly intricate array of puppet strings inside the pseudo-great-fist.

"Best of all, they're as light as a feather, but hit as heavy as a ton of bricks," Lubbock said.

"Or hit as heavy as a ton of feathers…," Ieyasu mumbled to himself, which Lubbock overheard. "Hey! Way to twist my words, idiot!"

Tatsumi was soaking his body in the rich healing waters of the hot spring not far from HQ. Incursio lay not far from where he sat in the steaming liquid, in case of a surprise attacker. He glanced down at his now well-toned body. No excessive fat remained anywhere; thanks to the training from Bulat, his stomach had been transformed from flat to iron. Lean and muscular with six-pack abs to prove it, his body and innocent face was any teenage girl's wet dream. Tatsumi swirled the waters around him with his hand in compensation. Aloud, he wondered, "But what if I really could train an amateur into a warrior like Aniki did to me?"

Sayo stayed hidden behind the exact same rock Najenda had taken cover with. Her face was shadowed and downwards; the guiltiness of overhearing Tatsumi's inner thoughts overtaking her conscience. But they had given each other something so precious, so valuable that she was sure he'd be okay with her overhearing how much Bulat meant to him. Silently, she slid down the rock and tucked her legs up to her chest, and waited for his emotions to flow. Originally, she had come to talk with him about Lubora and why they survived.

"Aniki... " Tatsumi's voice shook mildly. He glanced at Incursio in its short-sword form. "Why'd you leave me alone, with no teacher…?" A single sniffle escaped from his nose. "You taught me so much. You strengthened me. You encouraged me. And you even righted me when I was thinking with my emotions, or when I was in the wrong," he whispered. Without a single noise, a trickle of salty water dribbled out of his eyes. "You even passed on Incursio to me, who I don't deserve."

Sayo fully realized how much this Bulat meant to him. If he referred to the weapon the deceased used as a "who", the deceased was held with the highest of esteem in Tatsumi's mind. She understood how he felt. After all, she had presumed Tatsumi dead after recovering from Lubora.

"Bulat… Aniki… If you could see me today, would you be proud? Would you be happy with the man you shaped me into?" Somewhere, deep in Tatsumi's sub-conscience, he heard a quiet, calm and feminine voice speak almost in a whisper.

"_Tatsumi. You've grown even more since I last saw you. Your mind is warrior-smart, much smarter than it was before. Your body is extremely capable of anything. And your undying passion for the righteous path is stronger than ever. There's nothing not to be proud of, Tatsumi. That fact is as true as the time I let myself hold you, right after you thought Ieyasu and Sayo were gone." _

Tatsumi clenched his fists. "Sheele…"

Anticipating an encounter like this, Sayo had brought along a modest two-piece swimsuit to change into, in case Tatsumi needed a friend to cry on. Silently, she slipped her clothes off and donned the swimsuit. She waited for her blush from being exposed to the world for a few seconds to fade before making her way to the emotional, injured Tatsumi.

A cheerful, yet commanding voice rang out in Tatsumi's mind immediately afterwards. "_Tah-sumi, you've become a wonderful young man. Exactly the kind I'd shape you into, if I could still interact with you. Ahaha! Keep progressing in your quest to become a true warrior and a real man. I'll see you on the other side, Tatsumi." _The image of the tall, strong man with heart-shaped hair invaded his brain.

"Aniki…!" Tatsumi could no longer hold back his tears any longer. He added his own eyes' liquid to the hot spring's water. It was not a violent cry. It was merely a cry of acceptance; the progress of dealing with the hard truth that they had disappeared. A sniffle here, a tear flows. More tears. Another sniffle. He leaned forward to rest his exhausted head in his hands.

A familiar body pressed up against his back. Her smooth, toned stomach slid up against his back, and she wrapped her arms around his torso in a display of affection. Sayo subconsciously tried to keep her budding womanly parts from pressuring his back too strongly. Despite the shaky emotional condition Tatsumi was in, she blushed.

"Sayo…" Tatsumi sniffled as he whispered her name.

She freed an arm from around his waist and slowly stroked his flowing, brown hair. "Remember this? This always used to calm you down as a kid. Does it still now?" Truthfully speaking, the only reason she ruffled his hair back then was because she found it excessively cute. That hadn't changed over the years. Tatsumi not noticing her true intentions behind the head-petting had also remained the same.

His shoulders relaxed, and he sighed. "Yeah, Sayo… it feels really good."

"Good," she replied. Sayo grinned. Even now, he hadn't caught on? He certainly was dense.

They sat there for a few minutes in silence. Tatsumi simply relaxed from the physical comfort Sayo was silently providing, and Sayo's face was turning an ever-so-slight shade of red. Once again.

And that shade of red wasn't just from the hot spring. Trying not to stutter, but failing she muttered, "Y-you can lean back, you know…" Instinctively she turned her head sideways a little with a blush.

Tatsumi took the instruction, and laid his head on Sayo's shoulder. He closed his eyes. "Sayo… you're wonderful… love ya…" With that, he fell into a comfortable sleep with the water and his lover's body wrapped around him.

Sayo yawned. His exhaustion must have been contagious. She rested her head on his soft hair. It provided the comfiest of pillows, and she sighed in pleasure. Arms still wrapped around his waist, she kissed the top of his head.

"I love you too, Taht," she whispered before drifting off to sleep with him in her arms, the warmth of the water peacefully intertwining them together in relaxation and unison.

Najenda shook her head. "Goddamn. The rest of the members are too busy to see the newcomer? Pfft. Selfish bastards."

Mine and Leone stood on Najenda's left and right sides, respectively. With an obscene gesture, Leone muttered, "What about us…?"

"You two are either loyal to me or you're bored. I'll decide later. As for the issue presenting itself, Akame! Bring him in!"

Akame stood behind Juu with a glare on her face. With a light shove, she pushed him to the floor on one knee.

Najenda crossed her arms. "So, kid. What's your name?"

"I am Juuzou Tachibana, ma'am."

Launching right into the next question, Najenda spoke again. "Where are you from?"

"A village just outside the Capitol, ma'am."

"Why were you trying to attack our HQ?"

"My master, Dr. Stylish, sent me to assist Seryuu Ubiquitous, who was assigned with the task of eliminating Lubbock of Night Raid," Juu explained. "We were wiped out, and I pleaded for mercy."

"Hm. Name your combat abilities."

"Um… My main weapon of choice is a longsword or a katana. I use a self-modified chakram whip, and I have undergone intensive training in hand-to-hand combat," Juu listed.

"OK. Who else is in your squad that was sent to exterminate Lubbock?"

"Ma'am, do you mean the higher-ups in my group or my comrades?"

"Higher-ups."

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I can't tell you, since I don't know the answer. All I know is that they're called the Jaegers, and there's six of them. Well, now five." Juu shrugged, as if he didn't care about Seryuu.

"All right. Leone."

"Yeah, boss?" The ample-breasted woman cracked her knuckles.

"Go investigate and find out who the Jaegers are. If you can, bring back info on their Arms as well. Don't be seen and don't die. Go now."

"Sure, _boss-u._" Leone walked away with her hands behind her head.

Turning her attention back to Juu, she continued questioning him. "Why was Lubbock a target?"

"His Arms, the Infinite Uses: Cross-Tails is needed by the Jaegers," Juu said.

"Who's your master's commander?"

"General Esdeath of the Capitol, ma'am."

Leone stiffened. "Then I know the members already. I did some research in advance in case we encounter them."

"Go on, Leone," Najenda urged.

"Well, the first is Kurome. All I know is that she's related to Akame and her Arms can control the dead."

"If she's related to Akame…" Najenda said as she glanced at Akame, who was eating a cheeseburger, "... then it's likely she's absurdly quick and dangerous."

Leone nodded. "The second is Wave. He's kinda like Tatsumi. From the country, has armor-type Arms, and was raised with the same fighting style as Tatsumi."

"A seaman, I presume. If we're to fight him, we need to lure him into areas where land Danger Beasts are present."

"Third is… uh… I don't remember. All I remember is that he has an angel-wings type Arms and is Esdeath's personal assistant," Leone sheepishly said.

"We'll leave Mine to him," was all Najenda said. The girl in question scrunched her mouth in disapproval. "I get to kill a gay man with angel wings? Pfft..."

"Fourth is Bols. Remember those reports of villages burning from one man? Well, that's him. He's got a huge flamethrower mounted on his back and he's immensely strong, probably as strong as Bulat was," Leone stated.

Juu's eyes expanded. "My village was burned down by a large man with a flamethrower…! My parents were killed slowly and painfully…!" His fist began to tremble.

Akame stopped him. "Juuzou, you can't be sure it was him just yet."

"Fifth is Dr. Stylish. He's homo with a mind for scientific experiments on humans. His Arms increases his fingers' precision, if you know what I mean," Leone grinned smugly.

"Knock it off with the dirty jokes, Leone. So he's probably the one who modified Seryuu so heavily, according to Tatsumi's report."

"Well, last was Seryuu."

"Thanks, Leone. Good for being one step ahead."

"No problem, boss. Can I go now?"

"Sure."

Juu's eyes filled with fiery rage. "My mother was experimented on…! My father was killed from an explosion in a lab…! NO! I can never serve the Capitol, knowing they killed my parents. My entire village burned… only one other survived. She's somewhere out there…"

Najenda sighed and walked over to kneel by Juu. Internally, she thought, _"His determination and drive could prove useful for us." _Still in her mental world, she snapped her fingers. "Hey. It's all right. Do you want to join Night Raid? We work undercover to purify the Capitol of shit like the Jaegers, Esdeath, and the Prime Minister."

Mine's mouth dropped open. "Boss…! That's a little sudden…!"

Shooting a glare that said, "Shut up," Najenda continued. "You'll go through intense training. First under Tatsumi…"

"_So he will be mentoring this kid. Interesting," _Mine thought.

"... who will instruct you on how to operate within Night Raid, and strengthen you overall. Then, in about a month, you'll set our on your first mission to prove your worth. However…"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"... We'll easily kill you if you try to run or rebel. Got it?"

Juu looked up with a terrifying glare in his eyes. Fire was present in his soul, determination, and eyes. Najenda could see it.

Looking Najenda straight in the eyes, Juu growled, "No way can I defect to the bastards who killed my family for their own games."

Najenda peered into his mind through his eyes. She saw nothing but bile, hatred, and fierce desire to kill. There was no intention of lying. She extended her artificial arm. "Juuzou, I welcome you into Night Raid."

A smile crept onto Juu's face, but his eyes burned with passion to exterminate the one who exterminated his family. He pumped his fist into the air. "I'll serve this assassin's unit until I die!"

Najenda smiled. "That's the spirit, Juuzou."

Emotionally, Tatsumi was feeling well. But his body still ached from the wounds inflicted by Seryuu. He knew the injuries were for a reason: to keep things like this from happening in the future. But they didn't have to hurt so goddamn much…

He and Sayo began the short walk back to HQ. After a few minutes, he slipped his hand around Sayo's. She smiled and blushed. "Tatsumi?"

"Yeah, Sayo?"

"We're dating, right?" Sayo asked, fidgeting with her flower accessory in her hair.

"Um, yes, Sayo. We are, I think."

An excited Ieyasu came running up to the couple. "Hey hey hey! That's cute and all, but we've got a new Night Raid member! His name is Juuzou!"

Tatsumi looked at Sayo, then at Ieyasu. "Just because I have this bum arm doesn't mean I can't outrun you two," he challenged. He dashed off through the trees, tearing the branches away from his face.

"Well, you heard my boyfriend. Let's go!" Sayo shouted to her other childhood friend. She seemed to float above the grass, as she was moving so swiftly.

Ieyasu sighed. "Ah, young love…" he flipped his head between his knees. "WHY CAN'T I EXPERIENCE THAT? GET BACK HERE YOU TWO LOVEBIRDS!" he took off, using his axe to chop a path through the trees as a shortcut, since he could never outrun either of the two.

Juu seemed to be fitting in nicely. He had an argument with Mine, a chase with Leone, a conversation with Lubbock, and a talk with Akame about increasing power.

Panting, as he was recovering from the chase, he gasped, "Where's the other three?"

Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo burst through the door.

"... Ieyasu, why'd you cut down half the forest…?" Sayo asked.

"Well, I'm competitive. That's why," Ieyasu scoffed.

"Either way, I, the injured one, won our race…" Tatsumi mumbled.

Forgetting their argument, Sayo and Ieyasu turned on Tatsumi. "Shut up!"

Najenda sighed. "... and here we have Tatsumi, Sayo, and Ieyasu."

Tatsumi performed a double-take. "Do I know you? You said your name was Juu, right?"

Akame said nothing.

"Y-yeah. I don't recognize you, though…" Juu replied.

"Hmm…" Tatsumi thought. "Oh. I know." Unsheathing Incursio, he let the armor envelop him. It had fully healed, with no cracks evident whatsoever.

"Gah! Incursio…?! That's you?"

Letting Incursio fade away, he grinned. "Yup. Sorry about that punch, I was just doing my job."

"I understand, but it was rather terrifying…" Juu mumbled.

With a smile, Tatsumi extended his good hand. "No hard feelings, right, Juu?"

Juu grinned. "No hard feelings, Tatsumi." The two shook hands.

Najenda thought it would be a good time to inform Tatsumi of his latest duty. "Tatsumi. Until you're fully recovered, teach Juu what Bulat taught you."

"W-what? But that means…"

"Yeah, your food has become a meal."

Shooting a skeptical glance at his boss, Tatsumi raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you get the idea that I said that?"

Scrambling for a cool answer, Najenda simply said, "Just a hunch." Changing the subject, she pointed at Lubbock. "Focus your attention on training Ieyasu. I'll have Mine train Sayo."

Ieyaus looked at Lubbock with a huge grin on his face. "All right, bro! This'll be great!" The two high-fived.

"Sweet, a subordinate," Mine jokingly said.

"What was that, Mine?" Sayo teasingly threatened.

"Oh, nothing."

Leone was confused. "Uh… boss? What do I do?"

Thinking quickly, Najenda assigned Leone with the task of taking over hunting duties for Tatsumi while he recovered.

Akame sighed. "Good. Now I don't have to work as hard," she said in relief.

"I haven't hunted in a while. This'll be fun," Leone grinned as she cracked her knuckles.

Najenda rubbed her temples. She figured this would be a good time to expose her trouble. "Everyone, I have an upsetting announcement to make."

Every pair of eyes turned to look at her. "All of Night Raid. We have an important task that could appear at any time."

"What is it?" Sayo asked.

"Stay alive and protect HQ. In addition to the Jaegers, there's a group of bandits who are after us as well for our Arms and resources," she explained. "However… these guys aren't normal bandits. They're as strong as us, with Imperial Arms that we've never discovered. They have powerful ties to the Capitol, but they aren't affiliated with the Capitol."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mine questioned.

"Their target is the Jaegers and Night Raid, simply for our diverse Arms. I heard they also wish to create a disease even more powerful than Lubora." She looked at Sayo and Ieyasu with piercing eyes. "You two. If they manage to capture you, I order you to…" she hesitated. "... kill yourselves."

"What?! Why?" Ieyasu shouted.

"If they find out what caused you to have elemental powers by dissecting you two, think of how monsterous that'd be if it spread to the whole group of bandits, whose name remains unknown. They'd all be powerful elemental controllers, and they'd overtake the rest of us and the Jaegers."

"... I understand. We will," Sayo said as she trembled.

Ieyasu stood firm, but his eyes reflected fear. "Yes, ma'am."

Najenda sighed. "I hate to pressure you like this."

"It's all right," Sayo said weakly. "We've overcome worse."

"Yeah!"

With a flourish, Najenda extended her hand. "Good. Everyone, this is an order: Come back alive, and be victorious. For the new country we fight for. For everything! This is the toughest situation Night Raid has ever faced, and I expect all of you to continue to lend the Revolutionary Army your skills. Understand?" She asked everyone in the room.

"UNDERSTOOD!" was the echoed reply.

Later that night, Sayo, Tatsumi, and Juu were taking a walk around the halls of Night Raid HQ. Tatsumi was engaging him in conversation, while Sayo simply listened.

"So, Juu, what are your hobbies?" Tatsumi asked. This was also a test to see if Juu was a spy or not.

"My hobbies? Let's see… I like to dissect things, since I have a fascination in medicine and that kind of stuff. I like to read and write, and study about different kinds of weapons. I like playing the flute, and I can use the piano to some extent," Juu replied.

"You're interested in medicine? Hm, you may be what we're looking for." When Tatsumi said 'we're' he motioned to him and Sayo. "You see, Sayo here survived the Lubora disease and now finds herself being able to summon water from the sky. Do you know what that is?"

"Yeah, kind of. Actually, that's the true form of Lubora. Everyone associated the negative side effects as the actual disease, when in reality, the elemental powers are actually what Lubora is."

Sayo shook her head. "That's incredible. The Capitol went so far to even cover up what the real disease was…"

"What do you think of the members? Be honest, now, since we won't tell anyone."

"Well, I think Akame-san is cute, despite the glare she gives everyone. Mine irks me a little, but she seems nice. Leone is… interesting. I like Lubbock. He's really cool and I want to learn some stuff from him, after I learn from you, of course. I haven't really met Ieyasu yet, so I can't say much about him."

"How about our boss?" Sayo asked.

"Very kind, actually. I never expected Night Raid to let me in. Maybe it was because my family was killed by the Jaegers that I was let in."

Finally, Tatsumi decided to end their little walk-and-talk with the universal question. "Do you have a special someone?" he asked with no goofy intentions.

"I did… until our village was burned. She escaped, but I have no idea where she is now," Juu mumbled. "I hope she isn't dead…"

"She shouldn't be. If she has the same training as you, from what Akame tells me, she'll be all right," Sayo comfortingly said.

"Thanks, Sayo," Juu said as he smiled.

Tatsumi glanced around. "Well, you should get to bed. I have to train you well for future use," he said.

Juu laughed. "All right, all right. Good night, Tatsumi and Sayo."

"'Night," they replied in unison.

They watched him as he closed the door to his room. Sayo turned to Tatsumi and nodded. "Trustworthy."

"I got the same vibe," he replied.

Sayo turned her eyes upwards toward the sky. "Tatsumi, let's go outside and look at the moon."

"Sounds good to me."

The couple headed out right away, and sat on top of a hill that provided a perfect view of the full moon. The night was bright enough to be called early morning, or late day.

Snuggling up against Tatsumi to stay warm, Sayo wondered aloud, "Tatsumi? Can we stay like this forever?"

Chuckling, Tatsumi shook his head no. "No, Sayo. That's why we need to make this night feel like forever." He wrapped his arm around Sayo's waist and gently squeezed.

"Hey, you bastard! That tickles!" Sayo giggled as she twitched and squirmed under Tatsumi's squeezing.

Settling down a little bit, Sayo rested her head in Tatsumi's lap. "I'm really glad we found Night Raid. I like how we're progressing as units in the group, albeit slowly…"

"Me too. Don't worry, it'll get a lot more fast-paced in the future."

Having no more words to say, the couple stayed silent and stared at the floating beauty suspended in the night sky. Tatsumi noticed Sayo starting to nod off, so he leaned down and gently kissed her lips. She slightly twitched in her sleep, but didn't wake.

"Good night, Sayo," Tatsumi whispered.

**Whew! This was a fun chapter to write, especially the interactions between Sayo and Tatsumi. I really enjoy writing this story, and I hope you enjoy following it. As always, all I ask for is a review and a follow/favorite. It'll make my day! :) **

**Well, today for the lesser-known-character, we have Juuzou Tachibana joining us. **

**Juu: Hi, there.**

**TSE: Hey, Juu. Describe yourself to the audience.**

**Juu: Well, I'm usually shy and quiet, and only rowdy with people I'm comfortable with. I like being calm in battle, and off the field. My brain works much faster than the average human's, and in exchange I'm not very strong… Oh well. **

**I wear a pair of black jeans, and a red shirt on most occasions. On missions, I wear a waist-length military jacket that was dyed red. I always wear a metal glove so I can throw my chakrams, and I keep my katana sheathed and in good condition at all times. **

**I have somewhat unruly blond hair, similar to Shulk, except mine looks like I had a perm done to it.**

**TSE: Whoa whoa, making an obvious reference?**

**Ju: Why not? It's the AN, after all.**

**TSE: True… continue.**

**Juu: I have electric blue eyes. Yeah, it's stereotypical. I also wear an earring in my right ear that's an emergency smoke bomb in times of need. I stand at about 5'9, so not too short, I guess. Oh, one last thing. I'm 17 years of age.**

**TSE: Thanks for sharing, Juu. **

**Juu: No problem. Can I go?**

**TSE: Yeah. **

**I hope you get a good mental picture of Juu from that. Let me know what you think of him, and what his contribution will be to the story. And remember to vote for the type of Arms he gets through PM or review! That'll decide his Arms later on into the story! **

**Otherwise, I am the Slain Executioner, slashing out. **

****

**Holy hell, it's 2:48 in the morning. **

**Bah-bye!**


	7. Aniki, Antagonist, cross-dressing, oh my

**AN: So, from an unplanned turn of events, the multiple OCs can't appear… I promise to use the OCs either as personality enhancers or complete OCs in my Tokyo Ghoul fic. All right? If that's reasonable, thanks for understanding. If not, well.. I apologize. As a heads-up, in addition to Juu, there will be one more Night Raid member joining for good. It may or may not be male or female; you'll just have to see. One more thing. I'm sorry about introducing race to Akame ga Kill!, because said show does not contain races. **

**Can't remember your name, bud, but whoever said that Najenda ordering Sayo and Ieyasu to kill themselves is absolutely right. That was an error on my part, and I apologize. **

**Can we take a second to appreciate how fucking beautiful the opening for the second half is? … okay. thanks. **

**Remember, vote for what type of Arms Juu gets. **

**A: Physically-based**

**B: Ranged-based **

**C: Mixed-based**

**D: Unique/unusual based **

**So far there are 3 votes for D. Keep up the votes if you want to see him wield something else. Send me a PM or leave it in in the reviews, all right? **

**Let me clarify for you. I absolutely love the amount of support and backing I get from you, my audience, but actually, the reviews are what I treasure most. It's the interaction, the live comments and criticism, and the things you liked which makes the reviews special to me. I'm asking for a simple review; it doesn't even need to be long. But the reviews make me even happier than seeing a new fav/follow, and I sincerely thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for reading this story I cooked up. Without further distraction, here's chapter 7. (We're so far in already! I'm excited!) **

**AN-PS: Gerudo Valley and its music is the only thing to Smash to.**

A few days had passed since Juuzou had joined Night Raid. Tatsumi had wasted no time in beginning the Tatsumi-ized version of Bulat's training he had undergone. The pair was now standing on two rocks in the river, which contained a nastily-swift current. When they had arrived at the training location, Juu eyed the river with caution. The rushing water that lay before him was awfully intimidating. But now that the new member of Night Raid had something else to focus on, his mind threw the idea of falling into the river out the window.

With his arm still in a sling, Tatsumi used his good arm to urge Juu on with words and actions. "Keep the pose, Juu! Just a few more minutes!" Tatsumi shouted, excitement lacing his words.

Juu had been executing a handstand for the past thirty minutes, and his biceps were moaning in pain. Sweat dripped from his head from exertion and nervousness from losing his balance and toppling into the river, ultimately being swept away and forced to use his already-useless arms to swim to safety. His arms trembled, and he gritted his teeth to keep his willpower up. He long passed his physical limitations. He barely kept on his two hands as he wobbled precariously on the river rock.

Expecting Juu to tumble as soon as he announced, "Finished!" He equipped Incursio and prepared to catch Juu as he fell over. A niggling voice in the back of Tatsumi's head told him, "Drop him into the river." While Tatsumi would admit to smiling at the thought, he'd never actually drop Juuzou into the river. Now, with his strength enhanced, he could easily pick up 10 Juus and throw them across a football field.

"Okay! 3...2...1… you're finished!" Tatsumi yelled, and waited for Juu to tumble into his outstretched arm. Half of his theory was correct; Juu tumbling. However, the other half wasn't correct.

Juu tumbled into the river, and he was washed away by the water. As Juu screamed and struggled with his exhausted arms, Tatsumi laughed. "Hey Juu! It's all a part of training! Keep it up!" Part of Tatsumi felt bad for the poor kid. Glancing at the katana and the chakram-whip, the owner of Incursio wondered why Juu had joined the Dr. Stylish Task Force. Was he forced?

Tatsumi remembered something about Leone saying that the minions of Dr. Stylish were modified humans that were once prisoners. Wait… so Juu was a prisoner? He looked at the exhausted, drenched and disheveled boy climbing up the embankment to confirm with Tatsumi that he was okay. Looking at his thin, high-cheekboned face, and his lean figure which exuded speed, he was a good chunk of the female population's wet dream. His facial features also gave off an innocent vibe. Tatsumi got the notion that he was highly trustworthy, but did he have a life of crime behind him?

He sighed. There wasn't any way to know unless he asked Juu straight-up. When Juu finally conquered the climb and collapsed on the ground, he held out a hand to help him up, first. No point in interrogating someone without being friendly, especially a comrade he would eventually fight beside.

"Ahh… I'm okay, Tatsumi-sama," he panted as he halted to catch his breath. Swallowing his exertion, he gasped, "What else is there?"

Tatsumi let Incursio fade from his body, and he sighed. He never liked how Juu called him 'Tatsumi-sama", but he should consider it an honor that Juu spoke of him at a higher rank than he. However, as the student of Bulat, he just couldn't accept that Juu called him 'sama." Technically, everyone in Night Raid was the same rank; either boss or subordinate. Akame was no greater of a subordinate than Juu was. However, Najenda did have different amounts of confidence in them; when it came to leaving the base unattended or sending people out on a specific task or mission. Letting his daydream fade as quickly as Incursio did, he knelt down beside the worn-out Juu.

"Juu. You and I share the same rank. We're both Night Raid members. So is Mine. So is nee-san…"

"Nee-san?" Juu asked.

"Oh, that's Leone," Tatsumi replied.

"I see." "_That's the woman with the boobies, right?" _Juu asked his conscience.

Continuing, Tatsumi said, "We all are members. No one outranks anyone, so you can call me Tatsumi."

Juu grinned, despite his shriveling physical state he was in. "All right, Tatsumi."

Tatsumi stood and turned to walk away. Juu scrambled to re-attach the chakram belt/whip and slip his katana back in its sheath. "Hey, Tatsumi, wait up!"

After walking for a minute or so, Tatsumi stopped walking and motioned for Juu to climb an enormous tree that stretched into the sky. Utilizing Incursio, Tatsumi was able to effortlessly jump to the top in a few seconds. Juu, on the other hand, took a minute or two longer. His body was already quite tired from the training before the handstand ordeal, and he could no longer jump as high as he usually could. He leaped up with great effort and joined Tatsumi at the very top.

Kneeling on the huge branch that the duo stood on, Juu stopped to catch his breath. "What was it you wanted, Tatsumi?"

As Tatsumi outstretched his good arm, he made Incursio fade as soon as his hand was at its peak, effectively creating a very cool action that Juu saw. "Juu. What do you see?"

"Well, I see a beautiful view."

The view presented to the them by their position was a highly beautiful one. As the sun shone high in midday, the water in a distant lake was reflected brilliantly. Juu could see the clear, blue water even from where he knelt. The Capitol appeared to be bustling and hustling, and from the outside looked like everything was perfectly at peace. Juuzou and Tatsumi knew differently, however. They knew the corruption of the Capitol, and they both grew righteously angry by gazing over the city. Juu pointed.

"See that super distant village over there?" Juu pointed off to the west, where a tiny civilization of buildings existed. "That's where I'm from."

Tatsumi strained to locate the tiny speck. "Oh, there it is. You didn't have to come far, at least, huh?" he asked.

Juu shook his head. "Nah. It was an easy stroll."

Tatsumi glanced at Juu outside the corner of his eye. "_Despite his scrawny figure, he's got good endurance. However, there isn't much strength-potential for him… even so, he'll be an excellent warrior with his incredible speed and agility." _

"Juu, what else do you see?"

"I see a city that needs purification. And we'll be the ones to do it," he declared.

Tatsumi smiled. "That's the attitude I like to hear! We'll be the ones, for sure." Glancing downwards, feeling slightly guilty about ruining the moment for Juu, he said, "Juu. Only people from the prisons get sent to be in Dr. Stylish's squad. What were you imprisoned for?"

Juu blushed. "Well… you see… I, um…"

"What?"

Juu pulled up his left pant leg to reveal a red prosthetic leg that began just below the knee. "I'm embarrassed showing people my body modifications…"

"Why were you modified?" "_Modifications? He was operated on more than once?"_

Juu sighed. "Forgive me if I begin crying. I'm not like you, Tatsumi, who's strong…," he paused. Then, he added with gritty determination, "... yet." He cleared his throat and swallowed his emotion. "Ah… My leg was severed when I was three… my father accidentally ran over it with a horse cart wheel and it had to be amputated. Since my father was overridden with guilt, he arranged for me to get a battle-prosthetic, which proves useful quite a lot."

He rolled up his other pant leg all the way. His entire right leg was a prosthetic, matching the shiny red color of his other lower false leg. "This one's different. Dr. Stylish installed this one on me, so… it has a few quirks," Juu said as he popped a compartment open with a button on his wristband he wore. "Look inside, Tatsumi."

Tatsumi did, and he saw 10 small missiles packed inside the leg, all ready to fire. "Amazing. So how do you fire them?"

"By double tapping the button on my wristband," Juu replied. "Also, there's a harpoon-grappling system of sorts," he declared as he jumped into the air and primed a double-bladed ballistic knife on his other foot, where the heel would have been if he still had his real heel. He shot a harpoon out of the bottom of his full prosthetic leg. The harpoon entered the bark of the tree at a very quick speed, and as it was reeling him in, he brought his other leg, the half-mechanical one, high up into the air and smashed it down straight through the entire thick branch of the tree effortlessly. In doing so, he made the branch Tatsumi was standing on fall towards the ground. In midair, he twisted and cried out, "I'm sorry, Tatsumi!" Tatsumi had re-equipped Incursio, and was steadying himself on the falling wood so he'd be all right.

"Juu!" Tatsumi grunted with alarm, then realized that Juu had withdrawn his harpoon and shot it into a different branch. While the mechanism reeled him in slower since it had to pull his entire body, it was rather quick in that sense either way. With his grappling hook still stuck in the bark of the branch, Juu was completely upside down but unscathed. "I'm all right, Tatsumi!" Juu slowly lowered himself until he was looking Tatsumi in the eyes. Then, with an agile double-frontflip, he released his harpoon from the tree and the mechanical part reeled it back in. When it was close to re-attaching itself back inside the prosthetic, he swirled it around himself, like Lubbock preferred to do when he was showing off.

"I'm not exactly what you'd call, 'normal'," he sighed. Shaking his head, he showed his half-prosthetic once again. "As you saw, it has a bladed knee, and a gas-propulsion system to effectively shoot me forward much quicker. So, I'm aerial and speed based…"

"Almost too much…" Tatsumi grumbled.

Juu ignored him. "... rather than strength."

Tatsumi nodded, and smiled. "Damn it all, that's cool," he gushed.

"R-really?"

"Who wouldn't think so? After all, Najenda has that green arm of hers with similar functions. You'd be a good ally for her, I'm sure," Tatsumi declared. The sun was setting, and Tatsumi flicked his cape out with a flourish, catching the wind. The cape fluttered behind him and ordered Juu, "Good work! You're done! Go get some rest and… hang out with someone. It can't just be me, you know," he said with a mischievous note in his voice.

"Sure, Tatsumi. Thanks," Juu grinned as he spoke. Tapping his head for a second, he continued his thought. "Most trainers/trainees have names for each other. What should I call you?"

"Hmm…" Tatsumi thought. A sickeningly painful, emotional, yet joyous name immediately popped into his head. Turning to Juu with painful tears of remembrance in his eyes, he clenched his fist and threw it into the air. A few tear droplets made their way into the sky from the force of the fist-pump. He brought his fist down, fingers outstretched.

"Call me An…" He sadly laughed. "...Aniki," Tatsumi ordered.

A tall man with short red hair and reddish-brown eyes smirked as he looked at the bustling city around him. People were arguing over the price of an item at a streetside market.

He wished to eliminate them.

A fight was going down in the middle of the town square. A large man knocked the other combatant to the complete other side of the 'ring', or square.

He wished to eradicate them all.

Axel sighed. But he couldn't do that now. There were too many witnesses and he had a task at hand, anyway. Thrusting his hands into his pockets, Axel began a brisk walk towards the Capitol's palace. Sighing once he reached the large, imposing gates, he called out to the guards at the watchtowers, "Hey, I'm here for the Jaeger task force replacement."

The guard in the left tower called down to him, "Why should we believe you, kid?" Axel was only 18, after all.

Axel unsheathed his sword and sliced a thin line across his back. "Power of the Tragic!"

An angel wing made completely out of blood spurted from the wound area. The droplets splattered on the ground before completely hardening to give it use. He leaped up into the air, stayed suspended for a few seconds before being forced to drop to the ground again, only to jump again. He stared at the guards while he kept himself in the air.

"I don't think Esdeath would call on anyone weaker than I am. Let me in before I kill you. Nothing against you fine fellows, but I'm already late," Axel growled as he silently formed a blood-sword in his right hand.

The guards silently opened the gate, shaken by fear.

Withdrawing his blood back into his body, slightly flinching as it returned to his insides, he made his way into the palace. Whistling at the beauty of the inside, he was tempted to pocket a thing or two.

But that wouldn't set him on good terms with Esdeath. Grinning, he shook his head. He was lucky enough to have his criminal status lifted from him and sent to serve the elite task force. Well, his actions would be overlooked, at least. He knew his actions were wrong. His entire decision of assisting the Capitol was wrong. He shrugged. "_Well, can't blame a guy for lending his battle prowess to the Capitol for money," _he thought.

He reached the door of the room where everyone was waiting for him. Taking a deep breath, he clenched his fist. "Nothing to worry about now."

Axel pushed open the door, where his new comrades waited for him. A woman with extremely long, ice-blue hair turned at the sound of the door being opened. Her uniform of white and her cap exuded professionalism, and her eyes chilled his blood when he made eye contact. Not letting his gaze waver one bit, he kept eye contact with the same intensity she had. She broke the staring contest first.

"Welcome, Axel. As you've been informed, our comrade Seryuu has been killed by Night Raid. We need you as a replacement for her."

"Sure."

Esdeath stepped up and introduced Axel with a sideways sweep of her hand. "Everyone, this is Axel. He'll be replacing Ubiquitous' position, as you've seen." She stopped and let the information sink in.

A young man with sea-blue hair and navy blue eyes crossed his arms. He spoke with a vibe of confidence, but respect. "So, what can you do that makes you stand out from the rest of us?"

Axel detected the respect, but the arrogance the blue-haired man projected irked him. Sighing, he silently drew out a knife and poised it above his arm.

Wave muttered, "I didn't ask you to go emo on us…"

Not hearing Wave, Axel continued. He slit a line down his entire arm, making blood pour out and drip onto the ground. Gritting his teeth to make the technique look impressive, he hardened the blood waterfalling out of his entire arm into points that stuck into anything. He turned to Esdeath.

"Miss Esdeath, is it all right if I use this chair?" He asked as he hefted the chair in one hand.

She shrugged. "Go ahead, Axel."

He gently placed the chair on the point of one of the blood blades. The chair sank onto the blade, as if it was coated in a slippery substance. "Now, imagine if I swung this at full power into someone's chest."

A girl with shoulder-length black hair that slightly curved at the end spoke up. "That's cool." she reached out to touch it. Immediately, Axel drew his hand away.

"Don't touch it! If you touch it, it will draw your finger into the hardened bloodstream and cut it off!" It would be a shame if this cute girl lost her finger, for obvious reasons that should remain unspoken.

"Oh," was the simple reply. Kurome went back to eating her sweets that she always toted around, even in battle. He simply glanced at the bag. In a flash, she covered the bag with her body. "You can't have any."

Raising a questioning eyebrow, he shrugged. "I didn't want any." Grimacing in pain as he loosened the blood and let his body suck it in, he shot a look at Esdeath. "Anything else, Miss Esdeath?"

"Nope. Go take a seat and I'll introduce you to everyone else in the Jaegers," she said as she motioned to a chair that did not have a noticeable hole through the area where you would rest your ass.

Axel walked over to the chair and sat down. Esdeath began by walking to the side of the table across from him and stopping behind a large man with a rather strange gas mask on his face. He wore no shirt, and his upper body was extremely well-toned. Muscles bulged from every point imaginable, and his gloves didn't help his intimidation factor go down any for Axel. He saw a giant canister that must be his Imperial Arms. From closer inspection, it was a flamethrower.

"This is Bols. He's actually quite nice and friendly once you get to know him…" Esdeath began.

".. Um, if I may, General Esdeath?" Bols asked with a surprisingly higher voice than Axel first imagined he'd have. Esdeath nodded.

"I was wondering if we could introduce ourselves to the newcomer," he asked.

"Go ahead."

Bols stood up. "Hi, Axel. I'm Bols. I used to be the incinerator for the Capitol before I was called here. I killed so many innocent people and I hear their dead voices calling to me every day. However, I'm aware it's just part of the job and I will pay the price someday." Bols reached around him to the table that Esdeath was standing by. "Would you like some tea? I just made it recently."

"Uh, sure." Axel wasn't exactly sure how to react to the huge man who burned bodies to a crisp making tea. He took a sip and was shocked at how good it was. Well, if he makes good, quality tea, Axel didn't care what he'd done before. "Well, it's nice to meet you Bols." "_He's nice enough, I guess. I can probably work with him well in the future." _

"I hope we can function effectively as a team in the future, Axel," Bols said. Axel guessed he was smiling behind his mask.

"Likewise," Axel said as he took another sip of his tea. It certainly was delicious.

The person sitting to the right of Bols stood up. It was that blue-haired man who irked him when he butted in to ask what he was capable of. "Hey there. I'm Wave, and I was a part of the Imperial Navy before I was assigned to the Jaegers. I came from an outside village, across the sea."

Wave's name and outfit seemed to scream, "Sailor." His jacket was blue with ruffles of white fur on the inner lining, his pants were black to fit with the style in the Capitol, and his tattered, red scarf appeared to have been battered by the aquatic elements. His navy-blue eyes were neither cold nor welcoming, and he was acting perfectly reasonable. But Wave irked Axel, and there wasn't anything either of them could do about it yet.

"_No chemistry here," _the both of them thought simultaneously.

"Good to know, Wave," Axel replied, a hint of irritation in his voice.

Wave shuddered internally. "_The hell is with this guy? He pisses me off for no reason! He's strong, too. Why are we immediately ticking each other off even though we didn't do a single thing? I don't like it." _Sighing, he sat back down. "_Well, we'll try to work it later." _

A young man with piercing, golden eyes and fancy blond hair elegantly stood up. His contrasting outfit of a white robe with a black undershirt projected the air of casual formality. With a mellow, soothing voice, he introduced himself. "Hello, Axel. My name is Ran, and I used to be a teacher before I was called to the Jaegers. Just a question, what are your values when defending people?"

"The last remaining few I care about," he said. Axel had no idea where the question came from, however.

He heard the black-haired girl whisper, "That's sad." He chose to ignore her.

"Ah, so you're like me, Axel. I think we will be excellent comrades," Ran declared as he sat down with a smile.

With a twirl and a flick of a long, white lab coat, a tall man in his late twenties, a scientist with glasses overly-stylishly stood up. "Why, hello there, Axel. I do believe your tastes are not quite stylish enough for my own, but I believe my servants and I can work stupendously with you and your bloodshifting abilities." He dramatically paused to push his glasses up on his nose. His face sparkled with an effect no one called for as he said, "Oh! How stylishly rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself. You may call me Dr. Stylish, or Stylish-sama. Whichever suits your fancy."

Axel smirked. "_Homo, but could prove to be a valuable ally if I need modifications." _However, Axel merely nodded in acknowledgment. "Pleasure to meet you, Doctor."

"Ah! How stylish! One rarely hears the words, 'Pleasure to meet you' nowadays! Very good, Axel!"

Turning his face to cough, Axel only turned to smile. "_Yup, definitely a homo." _

Kurome, the girl who interjected a couple times when Axel was being first introduced finally stood up. "I'm Kurome. I'm Akame of Night Raid's sister. I wish to kill her and cut her up and make her my puppet."

"Uh… Nice to meet you too." "_Well, that's interesting. I bet she's formidable, despite the sweets and scattered appearance." _He glanced at the katana leaning against the wall in its sheath. He had heard of the legendary Yatsufusa, and how many the fearsome blade has slain. Axel glanced at Kurome out of the corner of his eye. So this was the legendary warrior who had slain as many as Akame…

Esdeath acknowledged her presence by tapping her foot against the floor. "All right. Now that you know your comrades, Axel, I have a mission that is of the utmost importance. Due to the loss of Seryuu, we lost our most diverse warrior, which is why I called Axel to be a Jaeger. Now, as you may know, Night Raid is the only threat keeping us from dominating the lands around us. All the other oppression can easily be crushed. You six are going to go out and crush Night Raid. Destroy everything and anything associated with Night Raid, except the Imperial Arms. If you can bring back Najenda, their leader, alive, you will be handsomely rewarded. The most we have to go on is that their HQ is in the northern area of the Capitol. All their other bases in the South, East, and West have been crushed by the Three Beasts. Ran."

"Yes, Lady Esdeath?" Ran asked as he stood up.

"You're in command of this expedition. If you are to suffer casualties, the only fault placed on anyone is the deceased."

"Yes ma'am."

Axel appreciated Ran's overly-submissive attitude. Was he planning on betraying the Jaegers? He smirked. That'd be an interesting battle. Axel couldn't care less if he betrayed them; all he wanted was to stay alive.

"Gather your materials you need, everyone. Embark as soon as you're all ready. I order you to all return alive, and continue lending your services to the Capitol." Esdeath glanced down at the floor ever so slightly as she remembered the words she and Najenda used to command in what seemed like eons ago.

Axel noticed the near-unnoticable action.

Nearly two weeks had passed since Tatsumi and Akame killed Seryuu. While Tatsumi's arm was much stronger, it was far from recovered, and Tatsumi was sparring with Juu. Juu held one arm behind his back and Tatsumi did the same with his injured arm. As such, most of their techniques were leg-based. So far, neither one of them seemed to give any ground. The punches, albeit few, were strong and executed correctly. Tatsumi used his good arm to block multiple kicks from Juu, but the prosthetic-filled boy kept up the onslaught of ferocious and swift attacks. Lubbock, who was atop a nearby cliff, was either eating ramen, studying thread techniques, or watching their match.

Najenda walked up to where Lubbock was relaxing and sat down next to him. Despite his goofball personality, she still respected him and appreciated his company. She knew that Lubbock was capable of being serious, and when he was in a serious mood, he could say some inspirational things. Even her, as a former general, learned a couple things from listening to him speak when he was emotional or serious.

He'd never get the liberty of knowing that, however.

"Miss Najenda! What's with the backpack?" Lubbock asked as he eyed the large pack that Najenda slipped off of her back as she sat down.

Najenda stopped and turned her head to face the young man who'd served by her side for her entire military career. "What have I told you? Just like in the fourth chapter, I have my reasons for my actions."

Lubbock's face melted into confusion and perplexedness. "Najenda-san? Fourth chapter?"

Shaking her head in disapproval, she sighed, "Never mind, Lubba. I'll explain later. Anyway, I'm heading off to see if that one survivor from the other Night Raid stations is still in favor of joining us. Also, I was informed that the Rev Army may have an Arms for me, which would be nice."

"Oh, yeah, I remember that. That's when you told us about Axel, right?" Lubbock asked his superior.

"Yeah. Also… I've been informed that Axel has become a Jaeger. Even more incentive to take him down. Tell Akame she's in command of the base while I'm gone. Don't do anything rash, and I'll be back in a short while." Najenda turned and walked off, moving at a leisurely pace as if she was going for a Sunday stroll.

"'Bye, Najenda-saaan!" Lubbock called out as she walked off into the distance. She waved her hand once in reply. Sighing, Lubbock placed his hands in his coat pockets and strolled back into the Night Raid headquarters. Glancing back at Juu and Tatsumi's sparring match, he watched as Juu countered Tatsumi's finishing kick and knocked him back with a two-handed power shove that used the energy from throwing your hip into the shove. Tatsumi stumbled and fell on his butt, and sighed among the gasps of breath.

"Eeeeh, it'd sure be nice to be as quick as they are," Lubbock said as he watched Juu help Tatsumi up.

Lubbock remembered Juu's childhood friend that he said he'd grown up with. Speaking out loud to no one in particular, he giggled. "I wonder if she came to join Night Raid... if they'd get it on as quickly as Sy and Taht did."

Arms crossed, eyes shut, and face red, Sayo emerged from the bushes. It was clear she was trying to restrain her anger, as she said, "Lubba… excuse me?" Her voice became unnaturally deep and a dark aura appeared around her in Lubbock's eyes.

"Uh… uh… I'm sorry, Sayo-chan! I didn't mean to-" He was interrupted with a punch to the face.

"Gwaaah…"

Akame smiled.

Standing back up while rubbing his face where he got punched, Lubbock said, "Ugh… Akame-chan, you're in charge of the base while Najenda-san is off recruiting new Night Raiders."

"Oh. Okay. Then in that case, why don't you three go to the bookstore in the Capitol when it becomes dark? You were talking about that since you wanted to go research arms and Lubora."

"Yeah! That'd be great, Akame-chan. Thanks!" Lubbock glanced at Sayo, who was still fuming. Shuddering slightly, he turned to go look for Ieyasu, who was chopping up firewood on Najenda's orders. "Uh, let's go, Sayo?" He timidly requested. Sighing, Sayo shook her head and joined Lubbock to go prepare for sneaking into the bookstore.

"Sy, remember I can't be seen by the Capitol. So we're gonna have to go in the dark, all right?"

Sayo grinned devilishly. "But your face seems to be begging to receive a matching outfit."

"Huh…?" Realizing what Sayo wanted to do too late, Lubbock screamed, "HUAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Far off in the distance, Ieyasu momentarily stopped chopping wood. "What the hell was that?"

A woman in an elegant dress made entirely out of silk materialized a shadowy copy of the Imperial Arms Great Tremor: Heavy Pressure by glancing at her left hand with her left eye which was pitch blackness. Her shoulder length, slightly-unkempt brown hair complemented the dress fairly well. Her face exuded experience, with a battle-hardened glare in her contrasting eyes and a lopsided smile that seemed oddly welcoming. Setting the powerful microphone to its lowest setting, she tapped it once then proceeded to speak.

"There are precisely one-hundred of you here with me in this room. Very few of you have Arms. If you have an arms, I ask you to stand up." Her voice was welcoming, but was perceived as being very, very dark.

A mere five individuals stood up, and none of them looked too friendly except for a young man who kept muttering "Stand… stand up…" over and over.

"You five, come up to the front of the room with me." She let the Arms in her hand fade away and formed the Arms Zank used to have, the Omnipotent Five Sights: Spectator. The woman attached the mind-reading weapon to her forehead and slowly walked up to the first man who had stood up. "I'll make this clear. When I come to your spot, answer me in accordance to these questions. Who are you and why do you fight?"

The first man she walked up to sported a head full of dark, purple hair and an earring in his right ear that by reading his thoughts, found out that it was a grenade. A greatsword twice the length of his body was strapped to his back, and it exuded a dark, red aura. "I'm Steele..." He pronounced his name 'Stay-lay.' "...cousin of the deceased Sheele who was in Night Raid," he muttered as he clenched his fist at the name 'Sheele.' "I fight to avenge the ones who killed Sheele, and I wish for trustworthy comrades." The young man of about 17 and 5'9 looked the woman in the eye and did not let his stare waver, even though staring into the contrasted eyes of this woman was terrifying.

"Good, Steele. You are strong and you show capabilities as a fighter for me. I won't ask what your sword does, because it's blatantly obvious." She moved onto the next individual who stood up. A man who twitched slightly every few seconds met her gaze for a couple seconds, then looked away. His black hair quivered as he twitched, and his eyes were darting around in their sockets.

"I'm… I'm… Frim. I fight because… because...because…" The woman in the black dress paused to let him finish twitching. "Because I'm not good at.. at anything else."

"I see. I don't see a weapon with you."

"Weapon… weapon…" he muttered. Forcibly opening up a wound, he pulled his muscles, veins and bones to create a huge triangular-shaped cannon on his right arm. Blood spattered all over his clothes, but Frim didn't notice. "Imperial… Imperial Arms Systems of Defense… defense… Can shape a large… a large… defensive weapon… weapon out of human insides… insides cannon is my… my favorite… favorite."

"Impressive. I will most likely use you later on." The woman moved to the next fighter in line, a young girl with straight blonde hair with a bow in her hair. She looked feeble and unworthy to be called a warrior. Her eyes were fearful and her hand clutching a black notebook tembled slightly. She wore a school uniform, as if she was still attending an academy somewhere in the Capitol. "Who the hell are you? Is this notebook your Arms?"

"Urk! Sorry, ma'am…" With a flip of the notebook, it transformed into a portable computer that had a radar that was constantly tracking everyone in the room. Everyone's abilities, weaknesses, and Imperial Arms' data was revealed. "I'm sorry, ma'am. This notebook, or its true form, the RS9_GRID_BREAKR, can also track people up to 1000 meters, and the closer I am to the individual, the more details it reveals to me about them. If I am point-blank, it can reveal their psychological weakness. Oh… I forgot to mention my name. My name is Emily, and I came from a village that was burned to the ground by a man with a flamethrower. I fight… or, support the people fighting, to avenge my fallen friends."

The lady in black sympathetically smiled. "I'm sorry, honey. That must have been hard. Well, with your tracking abilities and Frim's long-range capabilities, I'm sure you'll be a valuable asset to our squadron."

Emily sighed. "Thank you for understanding me, ma'am."

The woman nodded. She looked at the second-to-last Arms wielder who was standing next to Emily with a nonchalant stance and facial expression. She had bright, thigh-length blue hair and a blade of flowing water was mounted on her back. Her black, rectangular glasses gave her a more mature look, and a modest pair of jeans and a t-shirt seemed to imply that she had finished school and was a teacher somewhere. However, she was only 19. "Who are you?"

Popping a piece of bubble gum, she replied, "I'm Teykra. I come from a seaside village and I served in the Imperial Navy. My Arms is called 'Revenge of Aquarius,' and it basically can morph itself into anything it wants to that is water-based. So, I could make a spear…" she said as she drew her blade and twisted the water into a long spear. Just my imagining it, she expanded the spear's length and detracted it over and over to prove her point. "... or anything else. I can also jump a lot higher by using water pressure. Oh yeah. Why do I fight? Well… I want to find my childhood friend Wave and convince him to join me in this unit. One more thing. I have a trump card."

"Does anyone else have a trump card?" The lady asked.

"Only me, but it kills me in the process," Steele replied with a shrug. Frim and Emily stayed silent.

"And what might that trump card be, Teykra?"

"I drink the water in my blade. I'll die after an hour or two, but until then, I become one with water and am literally flowing. If a blade cuts me, I just morph back into one blob of fighting aqua."

"That's rather interesting. Thanks, Teykra," she said as she looked at the last figure. He was entirely clad in a black robe that covered his head, giving him a grim-reaper appearance. "Hey, reaper. Who are you?"

Without lifting his head, he said, "I'm Devvon. I fight to find treasure on expeditions. My Arms is a scythe that was dipped in pure darkness by the devil himself. It can cut any light in half, and said light can be used a projectile. The scythe becomes much more powerful at night. With nightfall, the scythe can make me blend into the darkness, making me perfect for stealth missions. In the day, I can blend in with normal shadows for a small amount of time. My trump card allows me to turn day into night, but after three uses I will die."

"Interesting enough. All right, you'll be good here for what I need to send you off on." She turned to the other ninety-five warriors in the room. "Ruvik and Rika, the brother-sister fighting duo, I call you to step forward."

"Hah? Us?" A male voice called from the very back of the room.

"No one else is named Ruvik or Rika in this room, idiot," a female voice snapped.

"Don't be so harsh, nee-san," Ruvik, the owner of the male voice said as they walked to the front of the room.

"Hmph."

Ruvik shoved his hands into his pockets after shutting up. When they reached the woman in the silk dress, he bowed slightly. "You called, mi'lady?"

"What does you desire of us?" Rika asked much more politely.

"After extensively researching, I found your combined efforts outclassed everyone else's in this room. With Ruvik's ferocious, varying claw techniques and Rika's precise, swift gun-and-sword style, I think you two will be acceptable accompaniments for Emily, as her Arms has no known combat capabilities," the woman complimented and stated.

"I see. We'll do our best," Rika replied.

Ruvik strolled over to Emily. "Hey, what can your Imperial Arms do?"

"Weren't you paying attention when I was talking?" Emily questioned.

"Uh… I fell asleep at the beginning," Ruvik sheepishly replied with a feeble grin plastered on his face. With a lean, muscular figure and a stern, refined face combined with a black jacket that held three different claw types, he didn't look like the type to joke around. He wore simple, beige cargo pants that held grenades of different types. His white hair contrasted his jacket, which jiggled slightly as he scratched his head.

"Emily, in return for protecting you, we expect you to keep up. Okay?" Rika ordered in the form of a question.

"Don't be so harsh, sis. But we do want you to not hold us back, all right?" Ruvik laughed with a grin.

"A-all right. I'll do my best," Emily stuttered.

The woman gave everyone she called up to the front a once-over. "Good. You're all the most capable warriors in this room. I shall be assigning you seven into a task force, and we'll call you… the Amsaljas. You are to combine your talents and go out in search of the Capitol's Jaegers, as I've received word that they're hunting Night Raid. I want you to assassinate as many as you can and bring back their Imperial Arms. You're all valuable. I want you all to come back with positive results. Our enemies are the Jaegers… and Night Raid. Since the three groups are all against each other, try to take out Night Raid as well."

Steele, whose arms were crossed the entire time, spoke up. "They don't know about us, right?"

"Correct. They'll be focused on each other, which is a perfect time to strike," she replied. "Effectively plan an attack strategy on the Jaegers. Emily, lead them in strategy. Steele, be the brave leader your mind told me it could. Devvon, lead them in striking fear into anyone who crosses them. Now go." The woman led Spectator fade into nothingness as she walked out of the room.

Steele looked around at the other ninety-nine individuals still staring blankly at the front of the room. "Well, I guess it's meeting adjourned, everyone."

"Sayo… why are you doing this to me?" Lubbock wept as Sayo shoved him into a green-and-white dress that revealed most of his thighs. She tied a bow in his long, green hair, and fluffed the dress a bit to make his chest appear… poofy.

"This is nothing compared to what I was going to do, Lubbock. After all, you knew Taht and I did something that should have been kept to ourselves."

"Yeah, but…" Lubbock glanced down at his girlish outfit. "You didn't have to make me cross-dress!"

Ieyasu burst out laughing as soon as he saw Lubbock in a dress. "AHAHA! Cute, Lubba!"

"Not you, too…" Lubbock sighed. Sayo grinned devilishly.

"Are we ready to set out for your bookstore?" Sayo mockingly asked.

"Can't we go some other time…?" The perverted cross-dresser asked in hopes of going some other day when Sayo wasn't so mad.

"No. We either go today or never. And this way, no one will recognize you," Sayo added with a wink that seemed to directly smirk at him.

"Sayo-chan… you're so mean…"

**Sorry for the long wait… I've been having family issues tampering with my writing schedule. **

**How'd you like it? If you did, please review and tell me what you liked about it. Keep your eyes peeled for a Tokyo Ghoul fic, since that should be appearing on the scene soon. I love you guys so much, and I hope we can eventually reach a big spot on the Akame fandom. :)**

**Once again, I'll log you into my 3ds if you PM or review your FC. It's 1220-8478-6092. Smash you soon!**

**The Slain Executioner, slashing out. :) **


	8. Kill the Passionate Drive of Emotions

**We live in darkness, and we kill by darkness. Assassins at trade and at soul.**

**AN: I've noticed that we've been getting less and less views and reviews. While that's perfectly okay, I ask you to spread the story around if you know a buddy or two who like Akame ga Kill. :) **

**So I just decided to give Juu an unique arms, since hardly anyone was voting. **

**Give me an opinion. Do you want to see a Nisekoi fic or Another fic? I personally want to try Another, but who knows. **

**One thing before the chapter starts: someone dies. **

****

**With that aside, here's chapter 8. Love you guys. :) **

**Several weeks have passed since Tatsumi and Juu were last seen training. The Jaegers set out to track down Night Raid, but the Amsaljas have begun to pursue them. Tatsumi and Sayo's relationship has been coming along well, minus one small issue. Juu has completely fit into Night Raid. The mystery group is as shady and as powerful as ever. Toby, a specimen of Dr. Stylish, decided to lead a life of crime in the Capitol. Juu and Leone have tension between them. Tatsumi has strengthened Juu greatly, but will it be enough to take down the modified Toby?**

Ran looked up from the position he knelt after barely dodging a sneak attack performed by a shadowy individual. Literally. Ran could have sworn that someone flung pure darkness at him at light speed, since the time of the day was late evening. He smirked. Ironic, isn't it, how you'd dare attack an angel with a beam of darkness. Ran smiled. He readied his winged blades, taking into account that he couldn't fly indefinitely, and slowly hovered into the air. "So I suppose you'd be that shady-looking group that I've been researching, huh?" Ran called out to the squadron's leader, a young man with a greatsword that protruded rings on the dull edge of the blade and was emitting a dark red aura. The giant blade was slung over his shoulder and his face was cold and nonchalant.

"So, I presume you're the Jaegers. The ones we were sent to kill," Steele said as he eyed the blonde-haired, golden-eyed angel floating in the sky above him. Cautiously noting that a man with blue hair and a jacket had the Grand Chariot. Using his insight, he predicted that Frim would be the only one able to effectively hit their leader. Snapping his fingers twice and glancing at Frim, he silently ordered Frim to attack Ran when the time called for it. He looked at Kurome. "_God, I can feel her power even from over here," _he mentally muttered. Crossing his wrists in an x-motion and shooting a quick look at Devvon, the grim reaper of a man was to attack Kurome. The Grid Squad, as he'd dubbed them, which consisted of Ruvik, Rika, and Emily he ordered to pursue Dr. Stylish. Ruvik replied with a nod. Rika simply looked at her target. Emily poised her notebook. After studying up on their battle habits, he knew the Doctor was most likely prone to sneak off and try a surprise attack. Thrusting his palm in the air was the silent signal for Teykra to go after Bols. As for himself, Steele would run off to the top of a cliff immediately after the battle began and try to launch himself on top of an unsuspecting Jaeger.

Turning to his comrades, but keeping a careful eye on his opponents, he yelled, "Everyone! This is our chance to show the lady how skilled we are in combat! Fight for what you told her three weeks ago, and never lose that insight while you battle the foes before us! Don't rush, don't die, and especially don't become enraged! As friends, we'll make it through this together!"

The more vocal Amsaljas shouted in return, "Yeah!" while the other assassins poised their battle stances even further.

In the sky, Ran chuckled. "Cute." Without letting his gaze waver from the enemy, he spoke in a loud, but not shouting voice. "Jaegers! We've overcome harder obstacles than these. We need you all to take down Night Raid. Fight your best and fight your hardest, because they'll do the same. You know your own weaknesses. Cover them so no one else has to for you!" Ran's theme was very different, but the Jaegers all grinned and prepared to battle.

_"Bastard... he's got my father's Arms,"_ Axel thought.

Steele nodded. Time to put the plan in action. "Frim! Now!"

The twitching boy stuttered, "Now…now…" as he opened up a huge wound in his arm and created a mounted cannon supported by bones, held together by blood, and powered by iron and muscles. His entire arm morphed out of its skin to create the devastating bioweapon, and blood flew everywhere from the sudden creation. Using a powerful blast, he created a wall of blood that separated the Jaegers from the Amsaljas. It quickly hardened, giving the assassins an opportunity to hide and forcing the hunters to hunt for them. As quick as lightning, the Amsaljas scattered, finding refuge behind rocks, trees, and two perpendicular clifftops, if you were a member of the Grid Squad or your name was Steele.

"...! Break down the wall, Bols and Axel! Kurome, Wave, grab my legs and hold on! Doctor, you do as planned!" Ran shouted as he flew off into the sky, with Wave and Kurome barely grasping his legs before he blasted off. After Ran was over the barrier, Wave let go of his leg, activated Grand Chariot and performed a vicious dropkick on the center of the barrier. All that he succeeded in doing was launching himself backwards, forcing him to land on the ground. By that time, Kurome and Ran had landed, and Kurome was blankly staring at Wave.

"What?" he sheepishly asked.

"I thought it was funny that you couldn't break it," she giggled.

"Shut up…"

"Shh, both of you. One's close by," Ran whispered with a finger at his lips as he glanced around. His eyes locked on a rock about 50 meters from where he stood. "_I don't like this." _

Teykra clutched her Revenge of Aquarius while gritting her teeth. "_Dammit. I can sense him sensing me here! Am I really that bad of a warrior to be detected this early?" _She shook her head. No, she wasn't. Silently, she penetrated the ground with the tip of the freeforming aquatic blade. Inserting a tiny stream of water to flow through the earth, she let the water flow until she saw a small pebble to Ran's left. Timing it perfectly, she released the stream of water, and it nudged the small stone. Immediately, Ran, Wave, and Kurome all turned their heads towards the rock that moved. With a grin, she pushed her glasses up on her nose and readied her blade. Dashing out from behind the rock as a high-speed projectile, she created an extremely long-range water-whip that she planned to sever Kurome in half with. However, Wave heard the rush of her steps and the whiz of the water before anyone could react, including herself. Using Grand Chariot, he blocked the attack that would have easily bisected Kurome, but in doing so, he was knocked back several meters from the intensity of the aquatic whip. He grunted as he took the blow, and cringed as he felt blood trickle out of his stomach, but shook it off and unsheathed his sword. He sighed. If only he could kill the user of Incursio. "_I'd be able to take that hit so much easier," _he thought with a cringe.

"Teykra. It has to be her. I'm not alerted to anyone else's attacks as I am to hers," Wave sadly declared.

Kurome glanced at Wave. "Now I didn't see that one coming."

Through his pain and discomfort, Wave managed to laugh. "Payback for thinking you hadn't seen that guy, huh?"

"Yeah."

Even if the trio had not stopped to chat, Teykra was already long gone. She had dashed off into the rocky field to their left, wanting them to play her game of water pressure.

That's what she wanted them to think. Grinning, she had rejoined her lying-prone comrades on top of the right cliff, Frim and Devvon, for the ultimate sneak-attack.

"Shit! We're getting nowhere fast!" Axel growled. Bols had turned up the heat on his flamethrower, and Axel and Bols attacking the wall with all they had.

However, Bols struggled to burn a hole through the wall of crystallized blood, but after Axel's own blood techniques, in the form of high-speed needles, a small hole appeared in the wall. Focusing their efforts onto the weaker link, there was a bigger hole after a short while of continuous attacking.

"Good job, Axel-kun!" Bols praised. Axel smiled. Bols had fascinated him the most out of all the Jaegers and had grown to look at him like an uncle. "Here I go!" Bols reared back and threw a mighty punch that shattered the wall into thousands of pieces. Axel and Bols high-fived before proceeding with the battle. Axel could see the trio of Wave, Kurome, and Ran up ahead. A few steps beyond where the wall was, there was a narrow pathway leading off into the rocky area that Teykra was supposedly hiding in. Silently, Axel pointed to the squished passageway. Bols shook his head and whispered, "We'd be ambushed, Axel-kun. We'd be finished in a second."

Shrugging, Axel said, "Should we wait for the Stylish backup of go on ahead?"

Bols hesitated before replying. "I find those cliffs on either side of us rather good for an ambush. Could you lift me up with your blood technique? We have a better view, anyway."

"Good point." Axel slid his knife's blade over his arm and forced the blood to grab the tank of Rubicante. Lifting his arm, he also lifted the large man and his Imperial Arms to the top of the cliff, then he fired the hardened blood further out of his arm and grappled to the top of the right cliff and joined Bols' side. Bols and Axel hid behind rocks, and glanced around the valley for anything out of the ordinary. Axel noticed a black cloak lying on the ground on the same cliff they were on, and tapped Bols' shoulder to point out the possible danger.

"That's the guy who almost got Ran," Axel muttered. Wait. Where was his scythe? Just as Bols was about to get up, Axel yanked him down. "It's a trap," he said as a beam of darkness flew over Bols' newly-ducked head.

Bols turned and watched as the beam destroyed a large mass of trees with a big explosion. "Thanks, Axel-kun. I owe you one. You're quite the warrior, sensing that so quickly."

"Nah, but thanks. It's just instinct."

"Shit. I missed," the grim reaper said. Only he didn't look like it anymore.

Devvon, who had removed his robe rather reluctantly, glanced at Teykra and Frim. In a barely audible whisper, he asked, "You two ready?"

"Yeah." Teykra had to force her eyes off of Devvon. He was strikingly handsome, with refined facial features, piercing grey eyes, and radiant black hair. Stubble from a few days' lack of shaving only added to his rugged handsomeness in her opinion.

However, Frim simply repeated, "Two ready… ready two… ready…"

With the faintest of smiles, Devvon nodded. "All right. Let's get these guys. Teykra, if you will?" Devvon asked as he motioned to her blade.

"Right." She penetrated the ground again, and sent a trickle of water to circle around the three Jaegers she had previously attacked.

"I don't understand. Where are they…?" Wave muttered as he looked around for his opponents. "Bastards. They're scared."

"But they're also excellent at hiding, which means they're perfect as assassins. I don't even know where that notebook girl and her assistants went," Ran muttered.

Kurome noticed a very, very slight tremor in the ground. "Guys. Feel that?"

Ran stopped, panic breaking out in the manifestation of sweat on his normally cool-and-collected face as realization what he, Kurome, and Wave were doing wrong. "...! They're above us…" he reluctantly admitted as a high-pressurized ring of water shot from the ground, keeping them trapped inside a small circle.

"Perfect hit!" Teykra exclaimed with a grin and a fist pump.

"Good… job…" Frim muttered.

"Thanks, buddy," she replied with a smile.

She watched as Devvon leaped into the air and threw a spell of pure darkness inside the circle. No one could see a single thing in the ring, including the Amsaljas. After Devvon returned to their side of the cliff, he muttered to Frim, "Okay. Once the angel guy blasts away the darkness, you take that girl's head off. She's got the most powerful weapon, and she's the sister of the deadly Night Raider, Akame. Don't miss, okay, bud?"

"Yes…" Frim gargled.

Teykra morphed her blade into an aquatic sniper rifle, just in case something back-fired.

Wave was beginning to panic. "Ran, do something about this darkness! I feel like I'm gonna get shot!"

Focusing the energy in his core, Ran couldn't reply. In all honesty, Ran felt as if he would get shot as well. Kurome had drawn Yatsufusa and summoned a man with a riot shield and a pair of sunglasses, quite ironically.

"Wall. Someone's going to shoot. Protect as many as you can," Kurome ordered.

The man nodded, although no one could see the action he performed in acknowledgement.

With a grunt, Ran released his energy. In an instant, the darkness melted away in a bright flash.

Utilizing his bioweapon, Frim fired an explosive cannonball formed from muscle. Wrapped in bone, the cannonball was designed to smack the target with the bone. Once the bone shattered, the muscle would grab onto the victim, reeling them back in to be finished off with an attack. Aiming straight at Kurome, he watched in horror as a man jumped in front of the projectile and was grabbed by the muscle and tissue. Frim crushed the man with the riot shield into tiny pieces, and blood, skin, organs, and brain matter flew all over the trio. Knowing that the bodily necessities that were now flying around in the air would provide cover for split second, Teykra fired her rifle.

Kurome threw her body to the right in a last-ditch effort to dodge, but she was a millionth of a split second too late. The solid beam of sharpened water pierced half of her neck, blowing the left supporting bone and all the tissue and muscle high into the air, which scattered madly. Kurome gasped, coughing up blood as the liquid spurted out of her neck wound. Heavily struggling to stand up, her neck hung at an angle where her head was completely supported by her shoulder. Like a fountain, her neck continued to spurt blood. The ground became coated in the legendary assassin's required fluid, and Kurome slowly began to pass out.

Ran's eyes widened, and Wave's eyes shook in their sockets.

Yatsufusa lay sticking out of the ground, for it had flipped out of Kurome's hands when she had been shot.

Driven on by a spur of emotion and dedication, Wave dodged the aqua beams fired by Teykra to scoop Kurome up into his arms. "Kurome! ...Kurome! Kuro…!" His eyes began to tear up as he hid in an alcove in a cliff face. Blood stained the arm of Grand Chariot. In unison with Wave, the suit of armor seemed to tremble with emotion as its user did. Despite her precarious neck angle, loss of blood, and loss of mandatory bones, she managed to look up at him with wide eyes as a tear began to settle in the corner of her right eye, same as her dominant hand that held Yatsufusa and performed countless executions and murders.

"Wave… The drug I have can't keep me from bleeding out. This kind of wound will…" Kurome stopped to pause as she shook violently. Forcing her convulsing body to keep speaking, her gingerly touched his face. "Let the armor fade, Wave. I need to tell this to your face."

**Ran dashed for cover behind a cluster of rocks, to avoid fire and give privacy to Wave, despite the fact that he wanted to see how Kurome was as well.**

Wave made Grand Chariot vaporize, and his tears dripped down onto his sleeves that had been instantly soaked with Kurome's blood. "Kurome… don't leave us! The Jaegers need you. I...I need you!"

Kurome gagged on her blood and dangling organs still attached to her neck. "Wave… I don't have much longer. But I need to say that out of all the Jaegers, you were…" she stopped to cough violently. "... the most reliable, friendly, honest, and trustworthy. And while it may not seem like I'm the type to fall in love, Wave…" Her eyes rolled up into her head and she shook with great intensity, but she forced her eyes down again. At that moment, she defied death.

Wave's arms trembled from emotional exertion. His eyes poured out liquid as abundant as the sea, from where he was raised. "Kuro…"

"Wave, I love y-" Her eyes became and blank and pale as a corpse's, for she had just become one mere milliseconds ago.

Out in the field, the Imperial Arms: Yatsufusa emitted seven pale-glowing spirits that drifted off into the sky, to their rightful place. The spirits had been released, and anyone could tell that the poltergeists were very pleased. Even Natala.

Bols looked up from their position when they stopped to avoid detection once more. He saw seven spirits fluttering up into the sky. With a gasp of acknowledgment from putting two-and-two together, he whispered, "Kurome-chan…"

Axel turned to him. "Huh?"

Sadly, Bols pointed down into the valley between the cliffs. "Kurome never let her Arms leave her side, Axel-kun. It's sticking out of the ground and seven spirits just ascended into the heavens, their rightful place," Bols said with a note of grief in his voice. "Must this be the price I pay, to lose my comrades and not myself?"

With sadness and determination lacing his words, Axel said, "Bols-san. You won't lose me, as long as I've got this helluva Danger Beast inside me." With a grin, Axel placed his hand on Bols' shoulder comfortingly. But in all honesty, Axel knew the Imperial Arms: Morinex was a perfect counter to his techniques. Forget weakness, Axel knew he had to stay alive for the Jaegers. Besides, he wanted to. Wave and himself had been getting along better throughout the time they'd been together and he'd grown to appreciate the company of them all.

"It's time to avenge my father," Axel whispered as he tightened his fist. His blood's energy pulsed from his closed hand. "Ah, it's nothing."

"What, Axel?" Bols said.

******"Ah, it's nothing." **

From the other side of the valley, Emily locked onto Axel. "Uh… so his Arms is Deadman's Call, which means he has a Danger Beast inside him. He can manipulate his blood to do anything he wishes, from melee weapons to angel's wings to blood-shooting projectiles. His skill level with a sword is named as 'Highly proficient," and his speed is 'very swift.' If he uses his blood thing too much, he'll tire out, making himself easy bait for you guys. I can't scan his weakness. Um… Ruvik and Steele?"

"What?" the Amsalja leader replied with a grunt and a heft of his greatsword.

"That's my name!"

"Could you two provide pressure on that big guy and Axel? I need to find Axel's weakness," Emily said.

"Sure, Em," Ruvik declared. Whipping out a pair of power claws that curved into L-shaped blades, he glanced at his leader. "Ready, boss?" Ruvik's abilities were nothing to scoff at, despite how limited his range was. His reflexes were top-notch, and he had won multiple hand-to-hand combat tournaments. All three of his claws- his stealth claws, power claws, and speed claws were tucked away in his coat, and they were and easy to change as a detach and reattach.

"In a second. Remind me what the claws' different abilities are?" Steele asked.

"Oh. Well, you see, the stealth claws let me shoot their blades up to three times on each hand, but they don't do too much slash damage. The power claws are for brutal ripping and shredding, but they're heavier than the others. And the speed claws are super light, and I can run faster, but they only do a little more damage than the stealth claws."

"Go for Bols, the guy with the Rubicante. Use your speed claws and run circles around him and wait for him to make an opening. Try not to break the Imperial Arms, as someone in our team could use it," Steele instructed.

"Roger." Ruvik shoved his claws into his coat. In seconds, his hands reemerged with his speed claws primed and ready for battle. They were perfectly straight blades that were shorter and very lightweight. He waited for Sheele to take the lead, due to the extreme defensive capabilities his greatsword had.

_"Idiot kid," _Steele thought. _"I was talking about you." _

Running to catch up to Steele, Ruvik asked, "So what is your greatsword, Steele? What can it do?"

"Oh, that's right. I never said what I could do with it previously. Well, it's the Imperial Arms: Morinex, which means 'to die a painful death.' Aside from burning anyone who touches it, it's very light. It can withstand any attack, not counting a chop from Extase." He immediately thought of Sheele. Steele gave a nod to the excessive width of the greatsword. "Nice thing about it too, it functions as a boomerang. All I have to do is catch the handle or the flat end of the sword to keep from cutting myself," he added with a slight chuckle.

"Hey! You laughed!"

"No, I didn't," Steele humphed, as he tried to keep up his calm, cool, and collected image.

Lightly punching Steele's muscled shoulder, he smugly added, "I know you're a good guy, bro. Show it a little more, would ya?"

Steele sighed. "Maybe one day when we don't have to watch our backs 24/7 I'll start to laugh again."

Rika watched the two walk away, shaking her head slightly. They were calmly talking as if they weren't in the middle of a battle. Guerilla warfare called for some unpredictable things, such as random conversations. She had a notion that they would get killed if they didn't watch their backs 24/7. After all, these were the Jaegers. The Special Police Force with the same level of skill as the infamous group Night Raid. Rika looked off into the distance, as if she could see the HQ of Night Raid just over the horizon. Her thoughts were broken by a timid, yet piercing voice.

Emily turned to her female friend. "Rika? Could you protect me in case something goes haywire?"

"Sure, Emily." Over the span of a few weeks, Emily and Rika grew close, with occasional girl-talks, even. Rika drew one of her pistols, for she always carried two handguns of any kind and a shotgun strapped to her back. In her other hand, she unsheathed her sabre that she stole from an Imperial Guard. Proficient in marksmanship and ferocious with a sabre, Rika was capable of taking down Imperial Arm users. "So what's the deal with Axel? What else can he do?"

Glancing at the GRID_BREAKR's screen, she sighed. "Unbreakable shield from blood, angels' wings, spears of blood, blades of blood, blood tornado, and more techniques that the GRID_BREAKR can't detect…

A speeding spear of blood whizzed past Emily's head, removing a few strands of hair. "Gah!" she yelped, as she ducked her head behind a rock.

Cocking her pistol and drawing her sabre with a flourish, Rika stepped in front of Emily. "Well, it's time to find out what else he's hiding in that Danger Beast body of his." Internally, she was afraid. "_He seems the strongest of any Arms user I've fought." _Tightening the grip on her pistol she named Archer, Rika kept a sharp eye as she slowly made her way to where the spear was fired from.

Wave stared intensely at the deceased comrade he grew to love. "Kurome… don't.. don't do this! We had so much fun and banter together, and now you leave me?! We were supposed to be invincible together…!" He was shouting now, and Ran's attention had been drawn to his wailing. The winged man averted his gaze, sadly staring down at the ground.

"I'm truly sorry, Wave."

He didn't reply. All he did was look at the faint, bloodied smile of Kurome. Despite seeming strange to many, he quickly pecked her lips with own, ignoring the coppery taste of blood. Gently, he set her down and brushed his hand over her face to close her eyes. He crossed her arms over her chest, the way she would have wanted to be buried. Motioning to Ran that he was ready, he backed out of the crevice very slowly. "Kurome. You were my confidant, ally, and irreplaceable friend, and I love you. See you on the other side…!" Wave choked, as a rising tidal wave of emotion crashed down on his heart and soul. He emerged from the emotional onslaught, and was replaced by fiery anger evaporated any figurative water that had assaulted him.

Turning back to face Kurome's corpse once more, he went and retrieved her bag of sweets. Placing it in her hand, he knew all he could do was done. Forcing his emotions deep into his soul where he could cry about Kurome later, he steeled his will and walked by Ran's side. Ran glanced at the struggling young man with sympathy.

"Are you going to be okay, Wave?"

"I'll kill her."

"What?"

"That fucker of a woman, Teykra. We grew up training together and she always outclassed me." Wave forcefully flung his arm downward. Grand Chariot came to him in an instant. "But…," he growled as he drew his sword. With a flourish, he took off into the air.

"... not anymore!"

Ran flew up and kicked Wave back down to the ground. Glaring, he said, "Idiot. I know you've just lost a precious friend, but going into battle enraged will only get you killed. Get rational, then join up with me for a flank attack on that trio. We can take them all out if we use our combination move. Want to try it?"

Gritting his teeth, knowing Ran was absolutely right, he stood up. "Yes. Even though that technique can kill me, I'll still try it." The duo would rise into the sky, and Ran would launch him downwards with all of his wings' power. Then, Wave would force Grand Chariot to speed up his descent, making him a human missile.

With a nod, knowing Wave was all right, he spread his wings and flew into the air. Wave followed suit by propelling himself into the sky. Averting his thoughts from Kurome, he focused his thoughts on battle, desperately trying to avoid thinking of bile and hatred. When they reached an altitude that Wave was beginning to feel tipsy, Ran poised his wings, and struck Wave down with a mighty blow. Furiously diving headfirst, he readied his sword. He would surely take out one, right? He gritted his teeth. He would have to. Teykra, without a doubt, would be slain with the fire in his soul, manifested through Grand Chariot.

Sometimes love is stronger than childhood bonds.

**Amsalja Count: 7**

**Jaeger Count: 5**

"I have to strengthen my techniques," Juu noted as he punched a bag, barely making it rock back. Sighing, Juu stepped back and thought a little. "_Why am I here, anyway? I was angry at the Capitol for burning my home down and decided to defect?" _Juu shook his head. He had seen the corruption of the Capitol firsthand; leading him to instantly know that his actions had been justified by the Revolutionary Army. "Night Raid took me in so I could play a part in purifying the Capitol, so I can create a family and live happily after everything's calmed down." He rested his head on his hand. "But I can't if I'm not sent out onto a mission…" In anger, he extended his prosthetic leg and power-kicked the bag. It flew off of its hinges and plummeted into the small pond he was training by. "Fucking hell…"

Dr. Stylish looked around at his henchmen. His many, many modified prisoners all stared blankly back at him. An enormous man with a huge pair of swords the size of Steele's Imperial Arms stood out from the rest, save for a girl with large ears, and a man with an oversized nose.

"Kaku, I presume you know what I'd like you to do?" Stylish asked the huge man.

Kaku laughed heartily. "Yeah! You want us to go and kill all the bums not on our side!"

Chuckling, the Doctor simply nodded. "Yes. Take Toby and his squad… eh? Toby?"

Kaku tipped his huge bowling ball of a head. "Hah? You lookin' for Toby? He said he's gonna go have some fun in the Capitol."

Dr. Stylish snapped his fingers and scoffed in disgust. "That's quite all right. Kaku, take Toby's forces and lay waste to the Amsaljas!" Flipping his lab coat out behind him to catch the wind, the doctor stylishly flourished his hand towards the valley.

"_Time to interrupt the thought process,"_ Najenda told herself. "Juu."

Startled, he jumped back from the bag, leg still extended. The harpoon's rope that connected his knee joint to the prosthetic was still dangling around on the ground, as he had no time to reel it in. Embarrassed, he looked up at his boss to see her staring at his artificial leg.

"So I see you've got a prosthetic leg, huh."

"Y-yeah… I do. My dad ran over my normal leg with a horse cart when I was three," Juu stuttered.

"I see. Traumatic?" Najenda asked, despite knowing the answer perfectly.

"Yes… then Dr. Stylish operated on it, to make it a battle-worthy prosthetic. I already had one," Juu said as he rolled up his other pants leg. "There's a blade in it that I can deploy at will. But the one Stylish modified has 10 missiles and a harpoon-grappling system."

"Show me a technique you developed."

"Well, all right." Juu jumped into the air, shot his harpoon right past the bag and into the tree, deployed his knee-blade and smashed his knee into the punching bag. Utilizing hip movement to create a snap, generating power, was all Juu had to go on, due to lack of muscle. "Hyaah!"

Najenda raised her eyebrows and whistled. "Not bad. We'd make an interesting team together, since we've both got prosthetics."

"Y-yeah."

Taking into account the nervousness in his voice, Najenda stopped to ask, "What's wrong, Juu?"

"I… I'm embarrassed when people see my prosthetic."

"Why would that be?" The Night Raid leader asked, genuine sympathy lacing her deeper, colder voice.

"Because I was teased a lot in school for it. Any bullies I easily dispatched, but still, the bullying was too much."

"Understandable. Well, Juu, we like you for who you are, not what's happened to you or what you've done," she said. "Also… I think Akame has the tiniest of crushes on you."

"Wh-wh-what?! Akame-san?!"

"Yeah, I think so. I'm not sure, but it's very probable. However… please don't tell her I told you."

"Um, yes, ma'am."

"Anyway…" Najenda said with a flip of her good arm. "Aside from that, I'm really impressed with your improvements. You're stronger, your battle logic is much higher, and your physical strength has increased…"

"... albeit slightly…" Juu finished for her with a sigh.

"Er, aha. Yes. Either way, there's been a man murdering people in the Capitol. Strange thing, he started murdering today. I want you to go stop him, Juu."

"What?!" Juu shouted as his eyes sparkled. "I get to go on a mission, finally?"

Najenda laughed. "Have you been this eager? Well, I'm sorry. But yes, you do. However… be very careful. Toby, the man you're going to kill, is heavily mechanically modified. Even more than you and I."

"Like… how? His arms, too?"

"No… his entire body is now a weapon, pretty much. Cut off his arms and a blade and gun will appear from his arm-holes. He's speedy, since he blades around on… well, blades. Basically, you're fighting a machine. His greatest weakness is his greatest strength; not being able to feel pain."

"How is that a weakness?"

"Well, injure a vital organ, if there are any, and he'll shut down eventually without realizing it. He'll kill himself faster from overexertion, so go for the heart and whatnot," she said with a shrug. "With your harpoon-leg and chakrams, I have full confidence in you. That's an interesting combination, a chakram-whip and a sword. No one's prepared for that, so go locate him and take him out."

"Najenda? With all due respect, I have two questions. One, how do you know all this stuff so quickly? And second, where do I find him?" Juu asked, confusion lacing his expression and words.

"Smart. Well, remember that incident with Sayo and Lubbock? I now send Lubbock in that dress to gather information on a regular basis," she laughed. "As for your second question, I'm not sure. Look in heavily populated areas where there's lots of secluded areas. Oh. Even better yet, look in places where there's lots of warriors. He'll likely be there, due to his obsession for fighting people and getting stronger," she instructed. Thinking to herself, she mentally observed, "_Honestly, this kid's got massive amounts of potential. Even more than Tatsumi had when he was where Juu was, I'd say." _

"All right." Juu walked over to where his katana's sheath lay, picked it up, and fastened it to his waist. Reaching up to grab his whip of chakrams, his hand grasped the faded, leather handle. The leather soothed his soul, calming him down and priming him for battle. The four, rounded blades dangled around his waist as he turned to face Najenda. Pumping his fist in the air, he shouted, "I'm ready!"

Najenda shook her head and laughed as she pulled a cigarette out of her pocket and lit it. With the cig half-dangling out of her mouth, she said, "You're becoming more and more like Tatsumi, huh?"

"What? Er, I guess…" Juu said shyly.

Najenda patted his shoulder. "That's all right, Juu. Oh, here's a poster of Toby."

A man with small spectacles, a long, blue-bodied vest that morphed into a trenchcoat, and a metal helmet that was undoubtedly a bladed weapon for headbutting gave a dignified, but dangerous look. A confident, subtle smile was barely evident on his face as he stared straight at the camera.

"He looks strong. But… Tatsumi is stronger. I'm confident in his teaching abilities, so I know I can win," Juu confidently declared.

"Good," Najenda said with a grin. "All right, Juu. Get out there and bring back a positive result."

"Will do!" Juu yelled as he took of jogging towards the Capitol, where his vital, first mission awaited him.

Sayo and Leone were chatting about various things. First, it was Tatsumi. Second, it was about Sayo's life in the village. Third, it was about Leone's backstory. Finally, it got to the point where Leone had a massive awakening.

"Sayo, hun, there's something I need to tell you," Leone said almost hesitantly.

"What is it?" she replied.

"When you were… hanging from the ceiling, your right leg had been cut off. Did someone replace it with a prosthetic, like Juu's?"

"My right leg…? Gone?" Sayo questioned, shock present in her tone.

"Yeah… it was lying on the floor underneath you."

Eyes wide and soul fearful, Sayo managed to squeak out, "I… can regenerate…"

"But how? Even I have trouble regenerating that quickly, and I need Lubba to sew my limb back on if I lose it," Leone replied.

Sayo thought silently for a moment. "_So I can regenerate. Cool. But when and how can I do it? Is it only when I'm knocked unconscious? Or is it when I am still functional as well? And how fast does it happen?" _Shaking her head, Say realized that there wouldn't be any point in pondering anything. She voiced her thoughts to Leone, who scratched her neck.

"Seems reasonable. I just don't know what gave you that ability. See, that's my trump card for Lionelle, while for you, it's just a side-ability. God, I'm anxious to know what your 'trump card' is, not counting Excision of the Holy Ones," she replied with a sigh. "You and Ieyasu are so powerful, it's not even fair."

"Huh? We are? I've always considered us less able than you guys," Sayo replied.

Leone's mouth dropped open. "You kiddin' me? You two have so much potential! From your elemental control, to your amazing, Akame-level speed, to Ieyasu's incredible, Bulat-tiered strength, the both of you are either on par with all of us, or you exceed us."

Sayo shook her head. "There's no way I can. Know why?"

"Nope. Explain, girlie."

"Well, you guys were so hospitable towards us. You welcomed us in like we were family, and you all here mentored me and helped me grow a lot. Not to mention, you guys are all awesome and I love all of you."

"Aw, that's sweet, Sayo-chan. Honestly, I'm loving the new members. Ieyasu's a ton of fun to poke at, you're good for many things, (not just with Tatsumi)..." Leone was interrupted with a punch to the face.

"Ow. Well, I did deserve that," Leone chuckled. "Anyway... and Juu is great to talk with about a lot of things. You guys are all great, and I don't want to lose any of you."

Calming down from the implication, Sayo smiled. "Thanks, Leone! Likewise."

Putting her hands behind her head, Leone started to walk away. "Well, I've gotta go help Aka-chan prepare dinner, since Tatsumi is still recovering. That lazy bum," she laughed. "Why don't you, Lubba, and Mr. Tolerance go to his bookstore tonight and read up on Arms and Lubora? Sounds like a fun night to me."

Sayo grinned. "That sounds fun!" Guiltily glancing downwards, she added, "I'll make Lubbock wear something of Ieyasu's…"

"But he's so cute in that dress," Leone giggled.

"After hearing he's gone through that for a month, I feel kinda bad now."

Leone heartily laughed.

Axel readied another blood-spear in case of a pistol shot. Briefly glancing at Bols, he muttered, "Watch out. We've got Notebook Girl and her guardian on us."

He saw the girl, Rika, draw her pistol. Extending both hands with his thumbs locked together, he called out, "Butterfly Shield!" A blood-made-butterfly with blade-shaped wings appeared from two cuts on his hands, blocking the bullet and forcing it to drop to the ground. "Pretty useful, that shield. It uses minimal blood but can be used a lot."

Axel heard a flurry of slashes followed up by a whoosh of fire. "Axel-kun! We've got a claw-user and a greatsword Arms!" Bols stopped to send a twirl of flame at the claw-wielder, Ruvik. He elegantly twisted in midair and dodged it.

An excessively brief flash of horror appeared on Axel's face. Quickly plastering his battle-expression on his face again, he stared down the purple-haired man about his age holding the Imperial Arms: Morinex with fire in his eyes.

The man looked at Axel as if he was an impudent child getting upset over a toy being stolen from him. "Got a problem with my face?" Steele mockingly asked from a distance.

"Get in my face and say that, you bastard. I dare you. Who gave you the right to wield Morinex with no guilt?!"

Steele shrugged. "Myself. Who else?"

Axel's back began to tremble. "You… you were the one who killed my father!"

"So? What are you going to do about it?"

"What do you think, dumbass?" Axel hissed as he poured blood out of his back to create two blood-laser firing turrets.

"Ah, a heated battle," Steele chuckled as he readied Morinex. "Axel, you're strong. But so am I. Let's fight for our honor."

"Fuck you. I'm fighting for my father," he growled, as if he was a primal animal enraged by the death of its offspring.

"Suit yourself. Let's go," Steele shrugged as he began to circle around Axel, waiting for an opening.

Bols blasted away at the quick young man pressuring him. However, while he did succeed in keeping Ruvik away, he wasn't able to land any hits on the agile boy. Grunting, he stuck his flamethrower's tip into the ground and blasted a stream of fire. The ground exploded, carrying him and Ruvik into the sky. Large chunks of rock hit Bols' well-toned body, so they'd merely leave a mark. Ruvik, however, wasn't coping with the rocks as well. However, he refused to cringe in the face of his opponent. Ruvik thrust his claws into his pockets, and an instant later, he shot his stealth claws' blades at Bols. The ground was coming up fast, and if Ruvik didn't find a way to slow his descent, he'd be rendered useless for the rest of the battle.

Using his extreme agility, Ruvik leaped from rock to rock and stopped atop Bols' Rubicante. The large man barely had time to react as the claws' shot rushed past him and a boy appeared on the tank of Rubicante. Just as they were about to hit the ground, Ruvik leaped up with all his might. While his fall was slowed considerably, his legs were shocked as they landed on the hard ground.

Bols landed in a crouching stance. His years of training immensely strengthened his body, which led to the conclusion that the fall didn't hurt him excessively. He stood up and glanced at Ruvik. "Boy, tell me your name."

"I'm Ruvik, mister. How about you?"

"My name's Bols. Why do you fight for the Amsaljas?" Bols asked.

"I need to raise money for my family. Our village was burned down… by you!" Ruvik screamed, hatred lacing his words. He took off, zigzagging to avoid direct burning.

Bols readied his flamethrower. "I feel bad for you, Ruvik. I do. But…" The air began to change with intense heat as the powerful blast charged further and further.

"... I'm simply doing my job," Bols sadly said as the blast spread across the entire valley's width. Bols was knocked back several feet from the recoil.

"Shit..!" Ruvik screamed and tried to jump out of the blast range. His efforts were in vain, as his legs were completely and utterly incinerated.

As he fell to the ground, Ruvik screamed, "HYAAAAAAAH!" He hit the ground with a hollow thud, leg-stubs first. Gravel and dirt filled his legs, and he howled again in pain. His legs were unevenly burned, leaving two protruding pillars of organ-dangling bones. Blood pooled from the wounds, leaving Ruvik to collapse in a puddle of his own blood.

Bols walked up to Ruvik and took off his gas mask. "Ruvik. I don't want to kill you, but for the sake of my comrades and job I must do it. Forgive me, and I'll see you on the other side," he said as he prepared an extra-powerful charged shot to prevent further suffering.

Gasping for breath and consciousness, Ruvik stammered, "I- I guess… people… on opposing sides… aren't so bad… all…. theeee….. time… Bols-san… you're a good… guy…" Right then and there, his body disintegrated from the pages of existence. His ashes floated up to the position where Rika and Emily hid, for Bols and Ruvik had taken their fight to the valley.

"I'll remember you," Bols declared as he replaced his mask onto his face. Turning to the cliff, he looked at Axel and Steele's battle. Axel was furiously attacking with everything he had, but Steele somehow managed to defend every attack, or at least dodge or brush it off.

"Oh no. Axel-kun is going to wear himself out at this rate…!" Bols exclaimed.

**Amsalja Count: 6**

**Jaeger Count: 5**

Wave smashed fist-first into the field Teykra was hiding in. His human missile attempt only missed by a few inches, effectively making the pulse waves from the intense attack damage her. Quickly drawing Grand Chariot's sword, he screamed, "Teykra! Our childhood days of you surpassing me is over! Love is stronger than childhood bonds, and your dead body is going to feel the aftereffects of this!"

"_Oh, dear. His fiery soul is melting the water we grew up by," _Teykra thought. She noticed Rage of Aquarius' blade start to shrink. "WHAT?" she yelled. Shooting her head upwards, she looked at the passionately burning individual in the suit of armor. Gritting her teeth, she knew she'd be in serious trouble if she fought how she usually did. Teykra decided to use his rage against him.

But would that work with the superhuman speed Grand Chariot granted him?

With sweat rolling down her head, she realized that the fierier her opponent's will, the weaker her blade is. Analyzing the situation, she knew she was as good as dead, no matter how much of a struggle she put up. Shaking her head, she morphed the weakening blade into a long-range whip that she had used to attack him earlier.

She'd go out fighting for her team, hopefully injuring him in the process.

Sadness overtook her. Wave was her friend.

**AN: Well, the fights between the Jaegers and the Amsaljas will be wrapped up in chapter 9. Lubbock, Ieyasu, and Sayo will head off to the bookstore, and Juu will eventually square off against Toby. By the way, the last OC will be introduced in the next chapter. She's the girl Lubbock hooks up with, as a heads-up. Akame will discuss something with Tatsumi and Sayo, and Mine will process her feelings. But until then, I ask that you wait patiently, and keep on reading and reviewing. :)**

**Thanks for the support! The Slain Executioner, slashing out. :) **


	9. Determination Stems from Loss

**AN: Really sorry about the long wait! Well, I have writer's block. Now, can you please wait at least 2 weeks before asking for another chapter? :P thank youuu.**

**I'm so, so so so so sorry for killing Kurome… but I NEEDED to give Wave development that would make him stand out from Tatsumi more. :( After all, look at ep 18. The way they interact clearly makes for good development if one were to die… by the way, I cried while writing her death. Please don't hate me for it… try to understand my reasons. More details at the end.**

**I'm introducing the elements of an upgrading-style RPG to Juu's prosthetics. xD**

**Tell me if you want to see my try and write a short lemon for a different anime. :3**

**I just checked. Line breaks are being little fuckers, and I'm sorry. I'll see if a slash works as a line break. *Checks* Hey it does!**

**If you have SM4SH, (SSB4 for 3DS) send me your fc and we'll smash it up. Mine's 1220-8478-6092. Leave yours in the review or PM it to me! **

**I have a serious question. I've been thinking that the characters have a lack of personality. If this rings true with you, please, please please inform me so I can make the story the best I can.**

**And hey, before you start reading, get creative! I want you to send me Imperial Arms ideas! Try to abstain from using what I've thunk up or what the manga/anime created. WIth that being said, don't make them overpowered. Deadman's Call was SO op before the creator and I decided to nerf it. :P **

**With that aside, here's chapter 9. :) Enjoy, read and review!**

**/**

"Gah!"

Teykra hit the cold, solid stone wall that was behind her. In the short span of just a few minutes, Wave had managed to send her Rage of Aquarius flying to the heavens and gravely injure her. His sword gleamed in tandem with his armor as he attacked, making him appear just like a knight in shining armor. Only this knight would murder her rather than sweep her off her feet, as his sword's position and his stance screamed. Suddenly, he lowered his sword to the point of having it dangle around in a limp arm. For a mysterious reason, he let Grand Chariot fade away to reveal a face full of tears and genuine sadness.

"Teykra…! I don't want to kill you, but…!" Wave darted his head downwards-sideways, flinging his tears all the way to where she lay. A few of the salty drops of liquid splattered her cheek, and she sadly smiled. "... but I must remain loyal to my comrades…!" With an agonizingly slow speed, he raised Grand Chariot's sword to the heavens, then pointed it at Teykra. "... and anyone who gets in my way…"

"... must be destroyed…" Teykra and Wave whispered at the same time. While the two were growing up, amidst their training, Teykra would always ask Wave the same question over and over. She closed her eyes and let her flashback envelop her.

**/**

"_Wave-chan, you must stay loyal to your comrades. Anyone who gets in their or your way must be destroyed," _she had said while slashing her sword sideways at Wave's chest. He blocked it, but he was knocked back as a result. On a knee, he looked up and grinned. __

"_You kiddin'? Of course I know that!" _Wave replied, feigning a strike while going in for a leg sweep. While he landed the sweep successfully, she caught herself and sprung back up. Mystified, he readied himself for a counterattack. With a single hand, Teykra let loose a flurry of strikes that barely made him flinch, but forced him to dodge at light speed. Veiled in sword strikes, she simply thrust her free hand out and shoved him to the ground, declaring herself the victor.

"_Silly. You're getting better, but at this rate, you'll never surpass me," _she had taunted. Sticking out his tongue, he threw up his middle finger.

"_Screw you! I'll pass you someday," _Wave muttered.

**/**

"I guess you passed me, Wave-chan…" she whispered regretfully. "It's been so long since that time… you were 10 and I was 14…." Looking up with a cough of blood, she saw Wave tremble and drop to his knees as she saw the angel-man rush around the corner of the rocky area in case Wave needed assistance.

In a certain way, Wave needed assistance. A lot of it.

"What's wrong, Wave?" the man asked him.

"Ran… I just can't do it. I can't."

"What?"

"...Kill…!" Wave choked and threw his head into his hands.

With a look of sympathy, Ran placed a comforting hand on Wave's shoulder. Turning to face Teykra, he shook his head. "This is a difficult line of work, Teykra. If you'd like, I can take you back as a hostage and have you work as a Jaeger, provided you meet the approval of our general."

Teykra shook her head slowly before cringing from neck pain. "No, Ran. With all due respect, I can't. Wave and I, despite being on different sides, pledged as kids that anyone who got in my way or my comrades' way would have to be eliminated. Wave is your ally, right?" She paused to let her point sink in.

"Yes," Ran replied sadly. He knew what was coming next. When Ran was forced to execute someone like this; emotional, distraught, and knocked down, it affected him deeply, striking him in the soul.

"Then, you or Wave must kill me, since I am in Wave and his comrades' way," she declared with a sob. "_I want to live! I want to be free and start a family! I want… to survive…" _she screamed inside her head, agony filling her core and destroying her from the inside out. Tears dripped from her eyes, creating a mini-sea on the rocky ground beneath her. She looked at it. Teykra could barely see her reflection, the reflection staring back at her with sadness, grief, and despair.

"... My apologies, Teykra…" Ran muttered. With a flick of his hand, he sent a feather hurtling through the air and straight through her brain. She shuddered briefly, then lay still. Her eyes were still filled with her fresh tears, and Wave slowly shuffled to her dead body. With tears of regret, he closed her eyes and lay her on the ground in the same position he had lain Kurome.

"Teykra… I'm so sorry…"

A huge explosion sent Wave flying back. Ran gently caught him in the wings of Mastema, and set him down. He looked up to see a young man with a large arm cannon made from bone and muscle tissue and a tall, imposing figure that greatly resembled a grim reaper. "What the hell have you done to Teykra?" the grim reaper shouted.

"Above all, we must perform our duties assigned to us by Esdeath," Ran muttered as he readied his wings.

Re-deploying Grand Chariot, he sized up his opponents. They were both very strong, as Wave could tell. Whoever used his counterpart, Incursio, would be more of a challenge, he was sure.

But a tag-team battle was rather precarious compared to a one-on-one battle.

Frim took aim at Ran. Devvon prepared to fire a beam of darkness at Wave.

Two more would inevitably die. Fate would grasp them with its unavoidable hands and drag them into the pits of death.

**/**

**Amsalja count: 5**

**Jaeger count: 5 **

**/**

Axel stepped back after dodging an attack from the greatsword, Morinex. He took a breath in and launched an attack he dubbed 'Slayer of the Finest' for he had eliminated countless numbers of warriors while he was in the service. However, Steele deflected the round-homing missiles of blood, albeit with a little difficulty. Axel had miraculously inflicted a few deep wounds on Steele that would need serious attention after the battle.

Regrettably, the Morinex was created solely for the purpose of keeping Deadman's Call in check. Axel had already tried to flee using three out of his five escape techniques. Surveying his inner blood-energy level, he found that he would only be able to try two more escape techniques. He had sent blood to clog his wounds, otherwise he would have died long ago in the fight. Shaking his head, Axel created a dome of blood around him. Almost instantly, he could hear Steele hammering away on the shield. Normally, the technique was supposed to enable him to use a digging skill and escape through the ground, but he decided to wait for a sneak attack. As soon as Axel saw a crack in the blood-shield, he lashed out with an enhanced kick that was stronger than a strike from a sword. Steele caught the blow full in his chest, and he rocketed backwards into a tree, which split into two, jagged pieces from the intensity of Axel's counter.

Knowing that attacking Steele from his current location and given state of wellness would be fruitless, Axel vaporized his blood into steam. Using this technique hurt him greatly, but it prevented the mist from being blown, burned, or pushed away from anything, even an Imperial Arms. He ran with all his might to meet up with Dr. Stylish, but was stopped cold when the sound of a sword slicing through flesh pierced his ears. He looked down, but was only greeted with the taste of earthy soil.

Axel had been bisected.

The soft sound from Morinex's handle landing back in its owner's hands reached his ears. Axel had no choice. In the last minute he had to survive, he would stop his heart, effectively activating his trump card. His blood powers would skyrocket, giving him combat abilities of Esdeath, only with hatred-laced blood instead of malicious-infused ice. If he were in his physical pinnacle, he would survive for seven minutes before dying. In his current state; however, he had less than a minute to extract revenge on Steele, who had felt the blow from his kick earlier quite heavily.

With tears of regret and sorrow from the cold fact that he'd die in battle, Axel forcibly regenerated his lower torso and legs. His arms shrunk into his body, and were replaced by thirty razor-sharp whips of blood, fifteen on either side. The whites of his eyes became pitch black, and his pupils morphed into a deep shade of maroon. The hair atop his bloodied head changed its palette; it went from easygoing red to heavenly white. All of his blood, down to the last drop, went into this last-ditch attempt to take the counter of Deadman's Call down to hell with him.

The transformed Axel launched himself at Steele with whips flowing in fluid, brutal synergy. Steele blocked multiple strikes, but was met with the sight of his left arm flying into the sky. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he thrust the flat end of Morinex at Axel, hoping to burn him alive with residual damage. However, the near-unconscious Axel predicted this and swung his body to the left, using his whips as a springboard. As soon as he landed; however, he toppled over and the limbs created from his own blood dissolved into its original form; liquid. Axel's last sight was his body excreting the little blood he had left out through his arms and other cuts inflicted on him by Steele.

"D… dad… forgive me…"

The deadman had finally sounded the call of fate to swallow up the young warrior who was destined to die from the Danger Beast's corruption one day.

**/**

**Amsalja count: 5**

**Jaeger count: 4**

**/**

"Shit…" Rika muttered. She hadn't caught wind of her brother's death yet, and she was encircled by Kaku's squadron. Despite overwhelming odds, she had killed an Arms user in her past, so she was rather confident in her survival-to-death ratio. Still, the numbers were not in her favor, especially with limited pistol ammo.

Re-sheathing her sword quickly, Rika decided to try a signature move of hers. With a single, fluid motion, she withdrew her pistols she named Archer and Date quickly and whirled around in a tornado, shooting wildly from the cyclone. Over half of the sphere surrounding her keeled over with a bullet in their brain, despite the crazy shot pattern. Even through heavy modification, their bodies couldn't function without a brain.

Quick-drawing her sword, she slashed at the other half with her sabre in a series of strikes as fast as the wind and as graceful as the grass blowing in the breeze. However, the name she gave her move was anything but nature-related. Rika yelled, "Iron Fire!" as she took down the rest of the henchmen. The remaining few scattered, retreating back to where Dr. Stylish waited for Kaku's report. She took note of which direction they headed.

"Ahaha! Not bad, little girl!" a hearty voice laughed. Turning, she saw a man with unnaturally huge muscles step out from where he hid. He wielded two greatswords as if they were child's toys that were strapped to his back. He grunted. "So you think you can take me down, eh?"

"You're no different from anyone else I've fought; weak. Now stand aside and show me your commander, or I'll kill you," Rika growled, her voice going cold and deepening.

"Oooh! A feisty one!" Kaku exclaimed as he unsheathed his greatswords. "This'll be helluva fun!" He dashed straight at Rika, with no apparent strategy in his undersized head.

Rika slid beneath his legs, fired two bullets into pressure points, stood up, and shot him twice in the back. Her eyes widened as the bullets _pinged_ off of his back like a child throwing marshmallows at a wall. Kaku's legs were unaffected by the strategic shots as well.

"Ahuaha! This modded bod' of mine can't be shot with any gun or pierced by any sword!" Kaku shouted as he flexed. His muscles bulged immensely, and he threw one of his greatswords as Rika which flew extremely fast. She dodged it, but the blade scraped her cheek, leaving a small trail of blood to dry.

"You're not even funny. I can take you down with more ease than my little brother," Rika muttered. Knowing her firepower would be useless against this monster, she focused her efforts into her hand which held the sabre.

"Little brother…. oh, that kid who was burned by that Rubicante bastard?"

She paused, staring at Kaku. "Stop fucking with me. Ruvik would never die to any of you without taking him with them," Rika slowly uttered. Deep down, she knew he was right.

But if she admitted that, why on earth should she call herself "Iron's Cold Blaze" anymore?

"Oh, but he's nice and crispy in hell now. Don't worry, I'll make sure you see him soon," Kaku grinned with a snarl in his eyes. Holding his other greatsword in two hands, he charged at Rika.

"_Damn. His defense is too strong to break and I can't even survive one hit," _she mumbled mentally. "_Wait. His head should still be vulnerable." _She jumped onto the handle of the greatsword he had thrown earlier and back-flipped into the air. Rika was taking a huge risk; her surviving factor, in this case, was luck and not skill. Her mind flashed back to her aerial instructor.

**/**

He was a kind man in his early years of adulthood. Deathly thin but swift, he was a master of aerial movement. Ruvik had not taken interest in aerial maneuvers, but he surpassed Rika's ground-based-combat. As long as she could remember, Rika had silently watched him practice his movements from afar, never working up the courage to ask him to instruct her. As his technique developed over the years and Rika became bolder and less sensitive to what others thought of her, she hesitantly walked up to him one day while he was taking a break. Her question came out broken and nervous, for she had a bit of a crush on the boy. At the time, he was 20 and she was 16. Anyone could see that he was handsome, but she thought he was the handsomest of all the boys in the city she lived in. His abundant height, thin facial lines, sharp grey eyes and shaggy black hair distracted her dreams, but now she'd get the opportunity to train with him.

"_Um… can I ask you something?" _Rika had asked. Her former timidity was shown rather clearly here.

The man wiped the sweat off of his head. "_Sure, what can I do for you?" _

"A gentleman," Rika thought. "I like him even more now."

"_Um, could you train me so I can do your aerial movements too?" _Mentally, she slapped her head. "That came out way too timid and childish!" she shouted mentally.

With a smile, _he replied, "Sure, it was getting boring training alone all these years, anyway." _

"_C-cool. Should I pay you anything?" _she asked.

The man turned around, and with his back to her gave her a thumbs-up. "_Nah. Just try your best until you surpass me," _he said with a laugh.

"_So… cool…" _her mind gushed. However, all she could say was, "_O-okay." _

"_Well, let's begin. The first part about aerial maneuvering is that you need strong hips that you have good control over," _he said as he held up his hand. "_I know, I know, it sounds like I'm making a dirty joke or something. But I'm serious. Do you?"_

"_Um, yeah. I can floor the toughest kid at school by doing the three-inch-punch," _she whispered. Rika was still very shy around her crush, before 'that' incident happened.

"_Ah, so you're skilled with internal hip rotation and martial arts, right?" _

"_Yes!" _

"_Well, this'll be easy for you then… ah, I haven't gotten your name. My name's Devvon. Pleased to meet you!" _Devvon held out his hand.

"_R-Rika. Likewise, Devvon-san." _

Devvon laughed, which ended on a small snort. "_Oh please, Rika. Just call me Devvon. No need for those fuckin' formalities, right?" _

Eyes brightening and mouth smiling, she said, "_No need." _

As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, Rika and Devvon grew very close. They weren't close in the sense of lovers, but as a mentor-student relationship. Through Devvon's crash course in aerial movement, she became the most able fighter in the city, save for Devvon and her brother, Ruvik, even though the latter never practiced his techniques. One fateful day, when Devvon and Rika were sparring, an accident happened. This accident would leave Rika scarred and insensitive for eternity, and she'd never be able to recover from it.

"_Gyaah!" _Devvon screamed, as he shifted to the right in midair, using his momentum and strength, attempting to knock Rika into the ground. She dodged it by rolling, then sprung up to try a fan kick in midair. Devvon dodged the combination kick, but she thrust her feet upwards into his guard, resulting in Rika landing on her upper back. She jumped up after him and front-flipped, gathering momentum to attempt an overhead axe kick. Instead of dodging, Devvon tried to catch her leg with his arms to throw her, but he missed.

Her heel crashed into his skull, sending him rocketing towards the ground at a fatal speed. Headfirst, he smashed into the hard-packed earth and she heard a fatal _snap_.

"_NO! DEV!" _she had screamed, tears hitting the ground before she did herself. When she examined him close-up, his face was buried in the dirt while his body lay upwards. He was certainly dead.

**/**

"... I'll kill you the same way I killed my instructor," Rika muttered.

"HA! There's nowhere else for you to- eh?" Kaku exclaimed, puzzlement lacing his voice when he saw Rika change her aerial plane or direction a few feet by snapping her hip. Shaking his surprise off, he thrust the other greatsword in a stabbing motion.

Rika gracefully landed on the flat end of the giant blade and grinded towards Kaku. With a jump and spin, she drove the blade sideways through his ear. With a flourish, she pulled out and swiped the blade upwards to clean the sabre of Kaku's blood.

"Not bad… little girl…" he sputtered before keeling over, clutching the gaping hole at his neck. Rika had a signature when she killed- she would twist the blade in a full circular motion before withdrawing, creating a small hole in the victim's body.

"Blech, nasty."

Rika hated blood and the smell of it, but she endured it for her job. Sighing, she wiped her mind free of emotions that resurfaced and took of running in the direction Kaku's henchmen ran off in.

After a few minutes of running swiftly through the forest, she saw a tall man in a white lab coat running up a hill with the dwindled numbers of henchmen he had left. "_That must be Dr. Stylish," _she thought. "_Perfect, he hasn't noticed me yet." _

Rika remembered that there were members with large ears and a large nose that could hear and smell things from far away. Upon further examination, she saw that the two said members were with him, and they had just alerted the doctor. With a flourish, he turned to her location approximately 100 meters away.

"Rika, my dear! That outfit of yours is incredibly stylish! Your pistols and shotgun damper your impeccable look of stylishness! Oh, my. That black suitcoat you wear gives you a supreme air of formality mixed with strength! Now, let my henchmen and yourself-"

Rika shot down all of the modified prisoners that Doctor Stylish named his minions. "You're boring. Just let yourself die already, you shitty scientist."

Stylish clicked his tongue. "Ah, what a foul mouth you possess, Rika, my dear." He reached into his lab coat and injected a syringe into his arm. "But I'm afraid our time is up," Stylish laughed as he vanished from Rika's eyes. Then, all was silent. Rika slowly looked around, drawing her sabre and cocking a pistol.

From the left!

A knife flew in the air and embedded itself in Rika's chest. "Ghah…," she muttered as blood spurted from the wound. Another one scraped her stomach, and one more penetrated her left arm. Thankfully, she knew that these were far from fatal, and she could still run to regroup, even though it would cause great pain. Through her discomfort, she immediately shot at where the last knife came from. Rika saw a small blip of blood appear in the air, so she assumed she'd barely scraped him. Now, she saw droplets of blood splattering onto the ground, she she simply led her shot and blasted Stylish in the chest with her double-barrel. He reappeared on the ground, gasping for breath. Struggling for life. Little holes appeared all over his chest, and she caught a glimpse of his rib cage. She shuddered.

Knowing Stylish could have more syringes on him, she swiftly brought the blade down on the mad scientist's neck, ending his life with a _splurt. _Rika turned to walk away, but she paused.

"Could I use those syringes?" she thought aloud as she eyed said injections. "_More importantly, what would they do to me?" _Rika scooped them up and examined them. One was labeled, "SERUM X40: FLIEGEND." The second was titled, "SERUM X50: FENSUI." The third said, "SERUM X45: FURAITO." The last one caught her eye. The previous three were all a clear liquid. This one was purple and exuded a sense of danger to Rika. It read," HAZARD X01: TRUMP CARD."

"Well, at least he was clear in telling which one was the most dangerous…" she muttered. At a brisk pace, she set out limping regroup with the remaining Amsaljas.

The report she'd get was going to be anything but pleasant.

**/**

**Amsalja count: 5**

**Jaeger count: 3**

**/**

"Ugh… Axel sure was a hell of a fight. Morinex was even supposed to counter him perfectly," Steele grumbled as he struggled to stop the bleeding in his deep wounds. His loss of an arm worried him the most, though. He could black out at any moment and be at the enemy's mercy.

Trudging back into the valley, he saw Devvon and Frim squaring off against Grand Chariot and Mastema. No one had really taken any damage, but they were all breathing heavily and sweating profusely. If he didn't sound the call to retreat, more of his allies would die. He scowled and gritted his teeth in frustration. That sneak attack Devvon performed at the beginning of the battle was supposed to eliminate Ran. If Ran was dead, it'd be Grand Chariot vs. Frim and Devvon, two of his best. Then again, he never expected to be this badly injured. Steele chuckled. Thank whatever god there was that he hadn't been bisected.

"That reminds me… which Jaeger killed Sheele?" he murmured. Immediately, he regretted the action, as a stinging pain shot through his body as he spoke. It couldn't be that the murderer of Sheele had been killed, could it?

Limping, Steele pushed himself up to the top of the cliff. "Devvon! Frim! …" with a pause for his fallen comrades that died for no reason outside of taking revenge or doing their brutal job, he shoved his regret down. "WE'RE RETREATING!"

Devvon looked shocked, but Frim simply erected the same barrier he had when the battle started. Turning, the mentally disabled boy created a stretcher from his cannon, and caught Steele who trust-fell off the cliff. For an added effect, Devvon caked the area in darkness to assist their escape. They met up with Rika, who burst through the trees, nearly running them over.

"Rika… we're retreating. Ouch."

"Steele! What the hell happened to you?!" Rika gasped, eyeing his severed arm. She masked her pain. No one needed to see her struggle to stay comfortable, since people seeing her at her low made her anxious.

"I'll explain later… for now, run with everything you have.

As the four of them were running, Rika surveyed the remaining Amsaljas. "No… is this really all we have left?"

Steele turned his head away. He knew she was feeling the grief of losing her brother. "We don't know where Emily is. But I ordered her to use her trump card and return to HQ if needed," Steele said.

"Kh…!"

Rika didn't notice the now-older face of her presumed-dead instructor, Devvon. His hood had ripped in battle, revealing his face.

**/**

"I can't believe it took this long to finally get around to coming to town," Lubbock mumbled. Dressed in his favorite black trench coat, he sighed. "Man, it's sure been nice to come into town in my own fucking clothes for a change, not that frilly dress." He glared at Sayo, who was giggling beside him. "AND YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY NO HELP!"

Sayo laughed, and punched him in the shoulder. "Ah, come on, Lubba. It wasn't that back, was- ow!" Sayo was interrupted by the back of Lubbock's hand smacking her head.

Ieyasu glanced at the arguing pair and grinned. While the two stopped to bicker, he kept moving on towards the bookstore.

But, due to his pitiful sense of directions, he quickly became lost and wandered into the 'worst' side of town. Where all the notorious criminals gathered. And, by fate, a teenage boy who was sent to take down a criminal who came on to the scene rather recently.

Ieyasu glanced around at the tough-looking crowd. "_Uh… Lubba's store isn't around here, I'm sure." _Scratching his head, he made eye contact with a huge man, armed with a spear that had faint stains of blood. "'Scuse me, sir. Can you point me in the direction of the Capitol's bookstore?" Ieyasu's eyes held no fear; he already sized up this man as if they met on a battlefield, and he knew he'd already won.

"Hey, whaddo we have here? A kid who's lost his way? Or…" The man menacingly swung his spear at Ieyasu, who barely dodged it.

A look of horror was plastered on Ieyasu's face; but it was entirely fake. "_I'll take what Lubbock told me and use it here; manipulation. Just in case my judgement's wrong, acting should bring his guard down quite a bit." _

"What's wrong, kid? Not gonna make a move! Hah! You're a bigger chicken than I thought! That axe of your is just for show, isn't it?" the man mocked, while turning his head away and shrugging his shoulders. A crowd had gathered to watch Ieyasu be sliced into pieces, but they were in for an unpleasant surprise.

In an instant, Ieyasu punched the man's solar plexus three times before blood spurted from his adversary's mouth. As the big man fell, Ieyasu spun in a circle, simultaneously drawing his axe. "I train under the master of manipulation and the mistress of agility. You were defeated as soon as you started to speak to me," Ieyasu said. His voice was cold, and his friendly exterior melted away.

"You little son of a bitch. You think an attack like that will keep me down?" his adversary coughed.

"No. But since I'm a decent fighter and I have my warrior's pride, I won't take you down until you get back up. Fair enough?" "_I've missed these days," _he thought. "_Even though it's self-defense, I missed the thrill of battle." _

The man leaped to his feet, and attempted to impale Ieyasu on the tip of his spear. "Gyaaaaah!"

"Wrong choice, old man." Ieyasu jumped into the air, landed hard on the handle of the spear, and snapped the handle right by where the base of the blade protruded. Shock conquered the man's expression as the teenager leaped into the air once again and kicked upwards with a flip, knocking his head clean off. Blood spurted everywhere, and Ieyasu sidestepped to avoid the liquid permeating his clothes.

The man's head, shock plastered on its face, bounced away and landed in the ditch at the side of the road.

"It's called steel-toed boots, folks. Get some sometime, all right?" he sarcastically asked the crowd, which held a large amount of perplexed and bewildered facial expressions. Ieyasu replaced the axe in his sheath and walked back in the direction he came, looking for his friends.

Completely forgetting about what just happened, he smiled. "Boy, it sure was good to see Sayo smile like that again. She never seemed to be happy until she joined Night Raid." Ieyasu's mind flashed back to right before they started to eliminate criminals.

**/**

"_Hey, Sayo. You seem off, like you lost a part of yourself. What's up?" _He asked, partially knowing the answer. Sayo's eyes, which once gleamed a confident grey, now only sputtered once in a while with the last lingering sparks of her former self.

"_I just feel emptier and colder. I don't mind it, since it's just a change of life, but I wonder why I became this way." _

"_Maybe it's because we have no idea what happened to Tatsumi?" _

"_No. I doubt that. He's just as strong as you and I, so he'll be all right."_

"_Then in that case, what happened to the old Sayo?" _

"_Dunno."_

"_I miss her." _

"_Well, I'm fine with it. After all, I want to be myself. This is myself, so don't bother asking me to change." _

"_Okay, okay, I get it. Well, what should we do?" _Ieyasu asked as they strolled through the bustling streets of the Capitol.

Sayo's eye caught the sight of the wanted posters. "_Why don't we lend a hand to the Capitol and take out criminals? Our skills could use sharpening, after all." _

"_Yeah! And whatever we don't need from the reward, we'll send back to the village!" _Ieyasu grinned as he spoke_. "Can't get enough experience!"_

Sayo smiled, ever so slightly. "_Well, it's good to see you're fired up. We'll help our village out a lot this way," _she said.

One month later, they'd become Night Raid members and discover their true place in the world. As assassins who killed. As friends who supported. And most importantly, as comrades who never gave up on themselves or each other.

**/**

"Ah, sweet memories. Sayo, you've changed a lot in these two and a half months."

As he passed an alleyway, he saw in the courtyard beyond a blonde boy fighting a man with small glasses and a steel helmet. The boy had a belt made of chakrams, and a prosthetic leg with a grappling system attached to it. The man, whose arms had been cut off, left a gun and a blade protruding from the stubs where his arms used to be. He witnessed the man swing his blade/arm and knock the boy back, who blocked it with his prosthetic leg. The man kicked the side of his head, and the blonde kid went tumbling away.

Sky-blue eyes which exuded a sense of fear and helplessness locked onto Ieyasu's hazel ones. The boy's katana was protruding from the ground, and Ieyasu instantly recognized the symbol on the handle.

"Juu!" Ieyasu shouted as he dashed into the courtyard. In an instant, he was upon Juu's assailant, Toby. Ieyasu stayed rooted to the ground, knowing if he jumped he'd surely take a bullet somewhere in his body. Drawing his axe, he emitted a fierce shout that drew Toby's attention away from Juu and onto himself. When Toby attempted to swing his bladed arm at Ieyasu, he rolled back, scooped his fist on the ground, and flung a fireball at the mechanical man's chest. His skin burned, leaving an unpleasant odor permeating Ieyasu's nostrils. When the burning ceased, his entire chest was revealed to be mechanicalized, save for his heart and lungs, which were encircled by an intricate set-up of wires, rods, and robotics.

Ieyasu crouched low to the ground. "_I'll go for the heart, to try and end this battle ASAP," _he thought.

"Ieyasu."

"Hah?"

Juu stood up, mouth bloodied and eyes crazy. "Heh heh… this is a mission I was assigned to… and I'll see it through, with no help or anything like that! Stand aside! I'll cut this bastard up into tiny pieces and add his mechanical parts to my prosthetics!" His sky-blue eyes melted into a shade of navy; he no longer had control over his calm side. Ieyasu was shocked at the transformation, but he respected Juu's spirit and backed away.

"I'll leave him to you, Juu. Come back to us alive, would ya?" Ieyasu flipped his hand out as he turned to walk away. As soon as he started to walk, he heard the clash of blades and the soft gunfire from Toby's arm.

When Ieyasu reached the alleyway, he heard Juu shout, "Missile Kick," followed by a shout of pain and an explosion. He chuckled. Over the past few weeks or so, Juu had shown major growth in skill and tenacity, and it was being revealed here.

Ieyasu stopped walking as soon as he heard excessive slicing, followed by mechanical parts being ripped from their host. Running back into the alleyway, he saw Toby's body convulsing on the ground, with Juu ripping parts out of his chest.

"I'll murder you, you robotic bastard!" Juu screamed, as he punched Toby's face repeatedly. His fists were just as bloody as Toby's face. Ieyasu's eyes widened, for he had never seen this side of Juu. Unsheathing his axe, he brought the blade down on Toby's neck.

"Why the hell did you do that?!" Juu shrieked, and lunged at Ieyasu.

Ieyasu jumped into the air with a spin and kicked Juu in the face. "Listen up, you! I know he knocked you back a couple times, but keep your head level! Don't lose it like that, and kill him swiftly. No one deserves to suffer! Not even those who oppose you! Got that?!" He extended his hand to Juu, whose eyes regained their sky-blue innocence.

"Ieyasu…" Juu muttered as he glanced over at the corpse of the man he had just killed. Sparks flew from Toby's chest. "Did I do all of that…?" he timidly asked as he looked up at Ieyasu, eyes full of regret.

"Yeah." Shaking his head and smiling, Ieyasu helped him up. "Well, we know who to call on if we need a secret weapon unveiled. Either way, good work, Juu. I haven't even been sent on my first mission yet, and you've already passed me up. Psycho or not, you still did good. C'mon! Sayo and Lubba are probably worrying their asses off looking for me. We were gonna go to his bookstore and hang out for a while, researching Lubora and Imperial Arms. Wanna join us?"

"S-sure." Juu looked down as they walked into the courtyard. "Wait, Ieyasu!" Juu ran back to Toby's corpse and rummaged around in the man's chest. "Aha. Gotcha," he said.

"What the hell did you pull out of that guy?"

"A couple rare prosthetic parts. I collect them, just in case I need a replacement or an upgrade. Let me know if you find anything that's mechanical and broken, because I can fix it."

"Sure," Ieyasu laughed. "Let's go, bud."

**/**

"Wha-wha what the…!" Emily shrieked, as Bols towered over her.

Bols aimed Rubicante at her. "This is just part of the job… the job. I'll get what I deserve… someday. I'm sorry, Emily." The fire consumed the girl, and the all-too-familiar stench of roasting flesh permeated his nostrils. Bitter, agonizing memories flashed back to the masses of people he burned indirectly; but up close seemed too much worse. He was unlucky enough to witness their terrified expressions and their soul dissipate from their body as it burned.

He looked up at Emily's ashes flying towards the sky. "Damn it all. I hate my job," he muttered as he picked up the RS9_GRID_BREAKR.

His chest, all of a sudden, produced a protruding blade through it. Blood spurted from the wound.

"I… hate killing. GRID_BREAKR's trump card, 'Radar Deception', creates a fully controllable clone of myself," she sadly said as Bols fell to his knees.

"_She missed my heart… I'll be okay. I can live through this." _With a grunt of pain as Emily withdrew her blade from his chest, he envisioned his daughter and wife smiling at his safe return home. "Emily…"

"Yes?"

"Why… why are you fighting? For whom do you fight?" Bols readied the Rubicante for another flame attack. Sometimes, in the killing business, you had to do whatever it took to win. You had to manipulate. You had to deceive. But worst of all…

Bols rested his finger on the trigger. "_You have to strike when they're down." _

"I was sold as a child to "the Mistress," as we call her. She never tells anyone her name. All she wants is for us to help her cleanse the Capitol of Night Raid and the evil within the Capitol. Then when we finish our objective, we'll move onto the areas surrounding the Capitol. There are ninety-five other warriors as talented as Ruvik, the boy you burned. They will be passed Imperial Arms as we gather them. There isn't much of a choice but to surrender to us. Bols, I'm sorry, but I have to kill you." Emily raised her sword again, ready to take his head off.

With a spurt of adrenaline and emotion, he spun and stood up. With a simple pull of a trigger, he burned Emily alive. Her eyes were sad and surprised. As her flesh burned, she managed to choke out, "This is… a rough business…"

Bols clutched his chest wound as he struggled to stand up. His eyes brightened at the sight of Ran and Wave rushing towards him. Then a realization hit him. "Ran… Wave-kun… Are we… are…?"

Wave looked down, fists clenched and emotions running high. Ran met his eyes through his mask, but his facial expression painted a vivid picture of what happened. "Axel-kun… Kurome-chan… Stylish-sama…" Ignoring the pain in his chest, he smashed a hole into the ground with his fist. "We, the Jaegers, have been broken. We are all broken and wandering souls waiting to be found and redeemed, but must our comrades be redeemed so early for the span of eternity?!"

"Bols, you're hurt. Please, try to calm down so we can attend to your wounds," Ran gently suggested.

Wave had collapsed to the ground, trembling and drenched in sweat and tears. "This… this can only make me stronger…! So the next time this happens, the deaths won't affect me as much…!"

Ran glared at Wave, and Bols' eyes flashed with anger, and with a fluid motion, he stood up and punched Wave in the face. "Wave…! Don't ever say that! Yes, this is a dangerous job and anyone is liable to die anytime. But forming strong bonds will force you to protect those close to you with an even greater intensity. Take those close to you…" Bols paused and thought of his wife and child. "... and protect them as you would your own life."

Wave stood up, rubbing his cheek. "You're right, Bols. I can mourn over the loss of our comrades later. For now, let's get out of this hellish place."

Ran smiled, despite the loss of half of their squad. "I wonder who Esdeath will find for replacements. But yes, Wave. Let's go."

Mastema spread its wings wide, and welcomed elegance and strategy into its core. Grand Chariot was infused with the passionate emotions of Wave's two dead close friends, despite one of them opposing him. It ushered drive and determination, along with strength, into its heart. Rubicante filled itself with the screaming souls of the dead, whether comrade or enemy. Fueled by grief and regret, it seeked to take revenge on itself.

Ran, Wave, and Bols looked to the setting sun over the valley. These three survivors would become the new core of the Jaegers, whether or not they liked it.

**/**

"Hey, Akame?" Tatsumi asked. Tatsumi, Akame, Mine, and Leone were working on freshening up some former storage rooms for the new members that Najenda was brining back. Najenda had sent them a letter via falcon and said to prepare for three members at the most.

"What?"

"When did the boss say she'd be back?"

"She didn't say. Why?"

"I was just anxious to see what kind of members we'll be adding to Night Raid."

"I see."

"Leone, get to work!" Mine snapped, since Leone was lazing around on a table taking a nap.

Leone yawned, stretched, and stood up. "Aaaaaaah… Mine, don't be so loud…" Still half asleep, Leone started to clean the windows.

Mine let her thoughts wander as she swept the floor of the room. "_Why do I get this feeling that some destiny has been traded for another? And it's not just in here, with these people, but out there, too somewhere? Like something was supposed to happen, but it didn't?" _

"Hey, Mine! Just because you ordered someone else to stop slacking off doesn't mean you get to as well!" Tatsumi yelled while waving his broom around in the air.

"I know that, dumbass! Stop ordering me around and do your own work!"

"I will after you stop slacking off and getting upset because I want these new members to have a nice room!"

"Oh."

Tatsumi stopped. "Hey, Mine. What's with you? You'd keep the argument going long after you've lost, normally. But recently, you just seem to shut up. What's with that? It doesn't seem very Mine-ish."

"_Yeah, you're right. But now I changed, and I think… for the better." _However, what actually came out of her mouth was drastically different. "Idiot. Maybe I'm just saving my sassy responses for later, when I can burn you all at once."

"Point taken…" Tatsumi grumbled. He went back to sweeping the floor.

Leone decided to interrupt the two. "So, is this a guy or a girl we're preparing for? What'd boss say, Aka-chan?"

Akame's face was puzzled. "I thought she told you, Tatsumi." In truth, Akame forgot what genders would be joining.

"Wh-whaaat? But you were the one who told me how many people there were!"

"Huh?" Akame feigned innocence. With her constant poker face, it was easier that easy.

"Well, that's our Tatsumi. Scattered off the battlefield, but all business on it. Just like someone else is on him…" Leone grinned devilishly with a perverted glint in her eyes.

"H-hey… nee-san…" Tatsumi pleaded.

**/**

After Ieyasu and Juu returned to where Lubbock and Sayo were last, the four of them headed off to Lubbock's bookstore that had to be closed down, due to his mysterious appearance on the posters. Lubbock unlocked the back door in the alleyway, and saw everything untouched, as he had last left it.

The room was full of books. Thousands of them. Shelves were everywhere, filled to the brim with books. However, the store still maintained strict order, resulting in a very clean and friendly-appearing shop.

"Ieyasu, books about Lubora are downstairs. Find the shelf that says 'MEDICAL' and tap twice on the book titled, 'The Secret to Modern Medicine.' It'll open up a secret door that leads to my study. As for you, Juu, prosthetic information is over to the right, under 'HUMAN'. Sayo, Imperial Arms information is in my study where Ieyasu's going. As for me, well…" Lubbock grinned. "I'm going to find some of my old manga and brush up on my thread techniques."

The four of them split to perform their desired objective.

**/**

"Holy crap! Lubbock's study in Night Raid HQ has nothing on this!" Ieyasu said with amazement as he flipped through book after book. "Wow… Lubora can cause side-effects of limb regeneration, as long as the victim's in an unconscious or dormant state. Elemental power control, and even flight was possible, if the disease was bad enough.

"_Full elemental control can be achieved through being infected with Lubora four times and living. The chances of that are very slim to none; however, at .036%, you're better off not trying unless you actually do get infected by accident. Furthermore, the stronger your elemental attack you use when not in full control heightens the risk of it reoccuring in your body. For example, if I had elemental control over lightning, and I summon a bolt to strike an opponent for stunning purposes, then I would be 100% in the safe area. However, if I were to create a thunderstorm to bring down an entire city, I'd run the risk of re-infecting myself with Lubora. How this is, I do not know." _

"_Human limb regeneration is a very curious thing. In all of my test subjects, very few survive. But those that do can regenerate their limbs as long as they're unconscious or in a state of being where they cannot function normally. It is unclear if the limb has increased strength or decreased strength, but I am certain that the strength is relatively the same. However, the regeneration of the head and brain is impossible. Again; how this is, I do not know." _

"_Flight is perhaps the most confusing aspect of Lubora I have discovered. I have no way of proving what I am about to say as true, so discern for yourself. Lubora, at its extreme, can alter physics and allow the infected to fly for decently lengthed sessions. However, this requires a large amount of human energy and physical wellness, so it is extremely unlikely any of the living Lubora victims could utilize it effectively. Even more overwhelming evidence stacked against Lubora flight is that the victim would have to survive through Stage F of Lubora. This stage is the equivalent of the Imperial Arms Murasame: One-Cut-Killer's poisons. Flight is nearly impossible, in toher words. However, my test subject, a young girl, was able to pull it off. Unfortunately, this altered her training session and had to be injected with a drug that neutralized the disease, thus leading to her never flying." _

"That sounds very similar to Kurome, from what Akame's told me," Ieyasu mumbled as he strolled out into the main room to share his discovery with his comrades.

**/**

"_The Imperial Arms: Excision of the Holy Ones is a bow-type arms. There is no drawstring, as it feeds on the user's current state of emotions. If in a rage, the arrows are fiery darts. If tranquility settles over the user, arrows of water are shot. When the user is enveloped by evil and darkness, the projectiles are darkness and so on. Possibilities for arrows include lightning, ice, light, sound, strong knockback and nature. The bow splits into two curved blades for melee combat at the user's mental signal. Through heavenly power, the bow can be spun in a circular-ring motion faster than humanly possible, allowing the reflection of projectiles. Trump card summons an angel from the heavens to destroy any opposition, but it return, the Arms is returned to where it originated; the sky."_

"_The bow is made from the metallic teeth and talons of a Danger Beast that lived in the eastern mountains. The bottom blade is made from the teeth and specializes in slicing. The top blade is made from the talons, and specializes in stabbing and holding. Infinite Uses: Cross Tail and Excision of the Holy Ones complement each other rather nicely, due to the two Danger Beasts that the materials were harvested from constantly fighting each other."_

"Well, I didn't know that it feeds on my emotions. I wonder how sound is triggered...? Ooh. I should master that ring-spin thing as soon as I can," Sayo said to herself. "What specifics does Incursio have?" She flipped to the "I's" and quickly found a diagram describing the features of every nook and cranny from the Demon Armor.

"_Incursio is a defensive-oriented Arms. Through the utilization of invisibility, the user can cloak themselves to perform sneak attacks and whatnot. However, the user's presence is not masked, which means that the user can still be sensed if their location is given away. Also, the user is susceptible to attacks, even if they're invisible. The armor grants the user superhuman strength. Enhanced jumping, arm strength, leg strength, and speed are a few of its features. However, if Incursio is to change hands, the armor will adapt to the new user to fit his or her fighting style. Neuntote, or "Nine Deaths," is the title that was given to the auxiliary armament. The weapon, along as the armor's primary points, also shifts based on the user's fighting style. The weapon can shift in a matter of weeks or months, depending on how connected the user is to the Danger Beast living within them. Grand Chariot, Incursio's prototype, is an offensive version of said suit of armor. Instead of invisibility, the main point of Grand Chariot is that full flight is granted to the user. If two warriors of equal strength were to do battle in their respective Arms, the victor would be decided by luck. " _A diagram of the suit of armor was depicted on the following page, with numerous points about the strengths and weaknesses of Incursio.

"I don't think Tatsumi's shown me what his… uh, auxiliary armament is now. He told me it used to be a spear, but he never told me what it was now," Sayo grumbled.

**/**

"Hehe… they all think I'm studying my thread techniques. But in actuality, I'm reading my doujinshi!" Lubbock grinned as he surrounded himself with the steamy manga. "Haven't read you in a while. What was it about again…?"

Juu opened the door. "Hey, Lubbock?"

Lubbock shrieked and jumped from where he was sitting. "Kyaa! At least give a guy some warning before you…" Lubbock let his words drift off of his tongue when he saw Juu walk past him and examine a manga with a suggestive cover. "_Shit. Great. Now he knows about my collection," _Lubbock muttered to himself.

"Oh, you have this volume. I've been looking all over for it. Can I borrow it, Lubbock?" Juu asked, not fazed by the content of the manga at all.

"Eh… eh! Uh, sure. Go ahead."

**/**

**Here's the section where the author interacts with the characters! **

**TSE: So, everyone. Do you like how you are so far? **

**Ieyasu: Man, we seem droll. Do we get livened up later on? **

**Sayo: Yeah. What he said.**

**TSE: I will try my best!**

**Juu: *Frantically scribbles something down in a notepad* Hey, this is good material for a story, since this seems like it's gonna explode into an argument. **

**Lubbock: I'm loving how you gave me more attention. The anime and manga never seem to star me that often… *cries* **

**Mine: What the hell, TSE? Leone and I are almost nonexistent in your stupid story!**

**Lubbock: Oh boy. **

**Leone: *Sleeping* **

**TSE: Well. After I saw how cutesy you and Tatsumi were as a couple in the anime, I'm decided to give you some more page time.**

**Mine: Page time? **

**TSE: I can't say screen time godammit!**

**Mine: Oh. **

**Tatsumi: Eeh, why'd you put me with Sayo in this fanfic? **

**TSE: I thought Sayo and Ieyasu were characters worthy of note, so I decided to write something about them. Later on, I decided to put her with you since you seemed to have a thing for her when she was around.**

**Tatsumi: Fair enough, I guess…**

**Juu: Damn. No argument? All right, guys. What the hell.**

**Ieyasu: Geez, ever after that fight with Toby you're not yourself. You're not polite anymore, it's like you changed 180. **

**Juu: We all have our opposite ends of the spectrum. Here's mine. **

**TSE: Well, I'll close this off before someone kills someone.**

**Lubbock: Hey hey hey! Not cool how you scared me like that, TSE at the end!**

**TSE: Uh, bye.**

**/**

**And that was my vain attempt to direct the attention from dark and gloomy onto something more humorous. Night Raid will be getting a battle shortly, in case you were sick of seeing the Jaegers and my Amsaljas face off. If you have any questions, make sure to ask them, because interacting with the reviewers is my favorite part of writing, save for the planning and thinking-out. Oh, and by the way. The Jaegers that remain and the Amsaljas that remain will be around until the story ends. So if you want me to do a chapter describing their backstory, make sure to tell me. **

**Mm'kay. Deadman's Call, Axel's Arms, was based off of Deadman Wonderland's Branches of Sin. However, I tweaked it heavily to combine it with Ghouls (Tokyo Ghoul) and BoS, in case you were wondering. **

**All right. You want to know why I killed Kurome? Well, I'll tell you. I always, always, always liked Wave. Even down to his design and teigu. But what I noticed is that he's very much like Tatsumi, who wants to defend his comrades more than stay "in the right." I think, through this death (due to the obvious hints that it gives us that they had a thing for each other) will develop him more than Sheele or Bulat's death did Tatsumi. Tatsumi was not romantically attracted to either of them, (Oh wait I forgot Chelsea. By the way, her death made me like her a lot more.) so I think that the death of a crush/love interest would push Wave to have an even fiercer sense of protection for his comrades, but more reserved and quiet. However, there will obviously be times where his old (well, I guess his current one in the manga) self pokes through. But I want to differentiate him from Tatsumi above all, since I love Wave. If that seems like it has holes, I may be able to plug them with enough effort. Cleared up? Don't get me wrong, I love my KuromexWave. But… I'll save their romantic interactions for a rainy day in the future, when I'm bored and imaginative. ;) **

**By the way, this story will be around 200,000 words before I start the sequel… if there is any. I have an idea cooking in my mind, but I don't know if it'd have any merit. Well, if it sounds interesting, tell me.**

**If you want to know where the names of the OCs and their Arms (save for Ruvik and Rika) came from, ask me and I'll explain. :P **

**Oh… if you don't know what doujinshi is, look it up. ;) **

**Thanks for supporting me. I really appreciate it. :)**

**The Slain Executioner, slashing out. :) **


	10. The Dawn of a New Night Raider

**AN: Shoutout to SockMyRock: There are three characters in this chapter that appear then die, but they're necessary in developing the newest member of Night Raid, which will be introduced here. (But you already know who he/she is.) **

**Due to writer's block and fear that this story is underwhelming, I am placing this story on hiatus until further notice. Until then, I will be working on oneshots and my goof-around series, Pit's Expansion Pack, until I feel that my writing has bettered for you. I want to make the best story I possibly can for you, and by doing this, I think I can improve it. **

**If you like this story, be sure to tell me so I know. I really appreciate the support I have, albeit it being little, so every bit of support counts. Please leave a review, and don't forget to like and favorite. I'll see you in the next chapter, whenever that may be.**

**/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/**

Sayo and Tatsumi were enjoying the rainy day by sitting underneath a large oak tree, letting tiny droplets of water drip onto their heads occasionally. Sayo giggled as a large blot of water splashed onto his nose, making him yelp and jump simultaneously. Wiping the cold liquid off of his nose with a grin, his expression faded back into its neutral state. Tatsumi decided to ask her a question that had been on his mind for a long time. It was quite typical for a blossoming couple to ask each other this, as Tatsumi hesitantly asked,

"Sayo… Um, what do you see in me?"

"What do I see in you? I see a hero and a strong man. I can see the hero in you by looking at your pure passion to help the people, with no regards to how you are. I remember how selfless you were when you saved Akame from injury, resulting in your broken arm. That requires a lot of passion, drive, and determination; and above all, a hero's spirit. Your former teacher must have been a wonderful guy. I see how more mature you are since we left the village. Now, you are controlled, respectful, and level-headed, as opposed to…" Sayo began.

"Don't even start. I know how long your list of bad remarks is for me," Tatsumi mockingly grumbled. He poked Sayo's cheek and laughed.

"... Anyway, you're stronger and you have an air of fighting spirit around you. These two traits stem from your friendliness, sense of humor, and acceptance of people for who they are. Believe me, I know that the people in Night Raid are… unique. But you seemed to accept them right away from what the other members told me, especially Leone. Oh, and you're very cute."

Tatsumi blushed. "That's a lot of stuff you see in me, Sayo."

Sayo leaned back on her hands and tilted her head, which she never would have done when she and Ieyasu were fighting crime in the Capitol. "So, how about me? What do _you_ see in me?"

Tatsumi stroked his hairless chin. Sayo noticed this action and jokingly reprimanded him for it. "Tatsumi, you need a beard to do that," she pointed out with a giggle.

"Shut up!... Either way, you're smart, logical, determined, and persistent. You're a very good warrior to have on the battlefield and a great girl to be with off of it. I think that you have loosened up a bit from when we first left, but you're still you, pretty much. I like that a lot in a woman. Um…"

"What?"

"You're also… really pretty and beautiful too…"

Sayo's eyes widened, but not for the reason anyone would assume. "Thank you, Taht. But why are you so hesitant to say it?"

"Because… I've thought that for a long time, but never actually had the guts to say it…"

"Aw, you're turning red; that's even cuter," Sayo cooed with a wink.

Tatsumi blushed and turned away. They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the rain and appreciating the cool, damp weather that contrasted the warmer weather this region usually received.

Sayo broke the silence by sighing. "Tatsumi, I haven't been assigned on a mission yet." She lay back so her eyes could look at the leaves shielding them from the rain.

"Oh. That's right, you haven't," Tatsumi replied, thoughtfulness lacing his words.

"Why?"

"Huh? How should I know?"

"I'm just wondering. Does Najenda think we- I mean, Ieyasu and I- aren't Night Raid-ish enough to go on missions yet?"

Tatsumi shook his head in response. "Sayo, you and Ieyasu were years ahead of me when it came to logical thinking as a warrior. I think that now, Najenda is focusing on Juu, because you two are already as smart as I am when it comes to missions. After all, you two decided on your own to join Night Raid because of the corruption; and that takes some major brains. Juu isn't; though, and needs some waking-up of what the Capitol's really like. Bottom line? You and Ieyasu are already knowledgeable of how Night Raid's logic works, so she's saving you for when she needs to use you for an important enemy, like the Jaegers."

"Really? Another thing I forgot to mention: your insight. You seem to be able to tell when something bad or good happens, or something like this." Sayo paused. "Who are the Jaegers? The name sounds familiar, but I can't remember."

"They're the elite police force that the Capitol's Esdeath formed to take us out," Tatsumi explained. "Though, their numbers have kind of gone down due to a sneak attack performed by some shady group…"

"Then they aren't very elite, huh? Wait. Is the ambusher of the Jaegers a division of Night Raid?"

"No. I know that the group opposes us and has Imperial Arms. But that's it; my knowledge ends there," Tatsumi said sadly.

"Whatever. We're growing in numbers, so we should be pretty secure," Sayo confidently declared. In her mind, though, she had doubts. "_What if there are suicidal people who activate an explosive trump card or something like that Rubicante I read about…?"_

"Let's ask Najenda when she-" Tatsumi stopped speaking as he looked up at the moon. The sun's reflector was completely blocked off now, and a strange shape took its place. He saw four figures perched atop the Air Manta, and noticed it was moving towards them. "It's Najenda!" Tatsumi stood up, equipped Incursio, and jumped down to where the Air Manta landed.

Sayo, who was completely flustered at the sudden action, scrambled to her feet and shot out her arrow-grappling system she invented. "H-hey. No one said you could go ahead of me!"

Tatsumi landed with a huge crash, leaving his cape fluttering in the wind as he stood up. Sayo, on the other hand, elegantly dropped down from her grappling system. She glared at Tatsumi.

"You know, you could be a little more subtle…"

"I'm excited to meet the new members!"

Sayo smiled. He was acting like a kid. But his childish behavior was cute to her; it showed his innocent side. She pictured him behind his tough-looking suit of armor with a cheesy grin plastered on his face.

The thought made her giggle.

"Hm?"

"Oh, nothing. Just… daydreaming," Sayo said as her giggling calmed down.

"Okay, whatever."

Najenda looked around the area for any potential threats. Her eyes locked on Tatsumi and Sayo, and she smiled. Stepping to the side, she revealed three people standing behind her, all on different ends of the personality spectrum.

The one closest to Najenda was a man who appeared to be in his late twenties. His face bore no sign of friendliness, as it was stone cold. However, his icy image was shattered rather humorously with two horns protruding from either side of his head. He wore a white robe, with red stripes on the sleeves. A black undershirt could be seen protruding from the V of his robe, giving him an air of contrasting style. The weapon he held in his hands was a large club, with a rounded end that most likely held a trick of sorts inside it.

The second member was a girl with pink hair and headphones on. She carried a makeup box, which was rather out of place for an assassin's appearance. A small smile lined her face as she looked at Sayo and Tatsumi bickering. She wore a black-and-red checkered dress and a black vest with a white shirt underneath, as if she had just stepped out of the school she attended. A sucker stick hung out of her mouth as she looked around at the moonlit forest.

The third seemed to be the quirkiest. She had purple hair and hipster glasses, and her eyes were darting around all over the place. A white-and-black checkered beanie was perched atop her head, and her t-shirt was equally geeky, which pictured a shield icon that had three roses on it. She wore beige dress pants and black skate shoes. A slight bulge made itself known in her right pocket. The girl sighed and smiled. Sayo politely smiled back, since she had no idea what to think of her.

Tatsumi made Incursio fade away. With an excited grin, he called out to Najenda, "Najenda! Who are the new members?"

Najenda chuckled. "You've been awfully eager to meet them, Tatsumi. What's up?"

"I just want to have more amazing friends like I have now."

Chelsea, the girl with pink hair and the makeup box, giggled. "I thought the Incursio user would be much more muscular and buff."

"Hey! At least I'm not the one freshening up on the battlefield!" Tatsumi fired back.

"Calm down, silly. You didn't let me finish. As I was saying, you have great spunk and determination which kept you alive, I'm sure," Chelsea stated, trying not to burst out laughing at his response.

"Y-yeah. Sure."

Najenda looked at the arguing pair, then to Susanoo. "Well then, shall we go meet the rest of Night Raid?"

**/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/**

Ran sadly gazed at the battered wings of Mastema. The dirty and tattered feathers depressed him, somehow. Though he'd escaped from the Amsalja ambush unscathed, Mastema had taken a good deal of damage, which meant that it'd need to rest a little bit before it could battle again.

Bols polished the tank of Rubicante, his actions slow and sluggish. The realization of how many members they lost was starting to embed itself in his mind. "_Kurome-chan… Axel-kun… Stylish-sama… I'll avenge you before fate catches up to me."_

Wave sat in the corner of the meeting room, where the Jaegers used to eat together as a whole. His eyes were half-closed and the last lingering tears of his denial of the truth dripped off of his chin and onto the floor. He was mourning the loss of his two close friends; one as a love interest. "Kurome… I thought you were faster than that… I thought you could dodge anything, otherwise I would've saved you…"

Ran looked over at Wave. Gently, but with firm resolve, he spoke the words that would change Wave forever.

"Wave… you can't wallow in things that could have happened. Or couldn't have happened. Like I did with my class of children, I resolved to change the Empire from the inside out. Instead of wishing I could have protected them, I sent that desire to protecting those who are still alive and close to me." Ran paused as he looked at the disowned Yatsufusa and Rage of Aquarius leaning against the wall. "That being said, it is perfectly normal to be upset about it. But what I don't need is a member who focuses on the past. I want you, Wave, to focus on protecting Miss Esdeath. I want you to focus on protecting Bols and I. I want you to focus on protecting the peace, as we Jaegers were called to do. You, I and Bols need to double our efforts, due to the loss of half our squad." Ran paused again to let his words sink to the bottom of Wave's heart and mind. With a cold glint in his eye and a sharpness to his words, Ran forcefully commanded, "Wave! This is an order! Become one of the core Jaegers and never lose sight of why you're fighting for us and not the Revolutionary Army!"

Wave looked up; surprised at the speech Ran just performed. The words struck him deeply and emotionally, but he suppressed the tsunami of feelings. He looked into Ran's golden eyes, matching his cold glare with his navy blue ones. "I won't just do my best, as I have always said." Wave stood up, punched the wall and yelled, "I will succeed no matter who or what gets in my way!" The image of a smiling Teykra appeared in his mind. He shoved it away, knowing she was dead and gone. If Ran was telling the truth, dwelling on Teykra and Kurome would only lead to his downfall as a Jaeger. He was called to kill; he was called to hunt and devour his prey.

Esdeath walked into their meeting room with a crestfallen look on her naturally chilly-looking face. "You three. If I'm not ordering you directly, you are free to move as you wish. However, do _not _abuse the name of the Jaegers, or else you will be tortured by myself personally. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am... " the three of them replied simultaneously.

Esdeath sat down in a chair and sighed. "I know the loss of your comrades is heart-shattering. But one we're at peace, I'll give you all the time to mourn you like. Right now, there's a Revolutionary Army destroying our military control bases to the East. You're to go and eradicate them. Leave no survivors."

Ran nodded. "Understood, Miss Esdeath. May I be permitted to let Mastema heal itself?"

"Yes. Embark as soon as you can; however," Esdeath replied.

"Understood."

**/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/**

Najenda stood up from her chair at the table Night Raid gathered around whenever there was news. "As you're probably aware, especially you, Tatsumi, we've got three new members. Hey, Susanoo. Come in and introduce yourself."

The man with horns on his head and a white robe walked into the room with perfect posture and face stern. A few Night Raiders were intimidated, but Lubbock simply 'humphed.'

"I'm Susanoo. I am an organism-based Imperial Arms and I've lived for over 1000 years. My former master, a great general, looked very much akin to Najenda." He looked at the Night Raid leader. "There really isn't much else."

"Susanoo is an amazing Imperial Arms. His battle ability is unmatched, his strength is incredible, but best of all, his secret technique is…" Najenda paused for dramatic effect. "... cooking, cleaning, and doing housework!"

She was met by a group of assassins blankly staring at her. "Uh… you don't believe me? Well, Susanoo. Go make Mine a strawberry parfait and prove yourself to them." Susanoo obeyed his master's orders, and walked off into the kitchen without a word. The rest of the congregation listened to him mumble to himself about the freshness of strawberries and the creaminess of the yogurt.

Juu, out of all people, spoke up. "I… think he's telling the truth. After all, why would an organism-based Arms lie to his comrades? If he knows something, he'll tell us. If he doesn't know something, he'll tell us that he doesn't know."

"That's true," Najenda replied. "After all, organism Arms tend to have a high honesty factor when it comes to information shared among comrades. They also have good perception, so despite revealing questions and information readily, they're skeptical whom they share it with."

"Got it. So we should be able to tell him anything?" Ieyasu asked.

Before Najenda cold reply, Susanoo came walking back into the meeting room with a tall glass filled with refreshing yogurt and strawberries. He set it down before Mine who looked at it with a huge grin on her face. "I added a touch of almonds, a spritz of vanilla, and a dash of chocolate," he said.

"How'd you know what I like on my parfaits?"

"Najenda informed me of everyone's favorite food on the return trip from where I was sleeping."

"Sleeping?" Sayo wondered.

"Yes, Susanoo can only be woken up if his core chooses the user. I just happened to be there and tried our compatibility out, so points for me."

"I was awakened due to the striking resemblances she and my last master had in common," the horned man stated. "He also had an eyepatch and short, grey hair."

"He…?" Najenda momentarily turned away before facing the table again, with her eye half closed. "Okay… Chelsea, come on in…"

The pink-haired girl came in through the door with a big smile. "Hello, everyone. I'm Chelsea, and I used to serve under a viceroy who killed people for fun. One day I found my Arms, the Gaea Foundation, in the basement." She shook the makeup box to prove her point. "After that, I joined the Revolutionary Army. You've probably been told this, but my entire squad was wiped out by the Three Beasts of Esdeath. Then I wandered around for a while, laying low until Najenda requested my services. And here I am now," she said with a wink.

"_You're a smart and witty one, but you irritate me," _Mine thought. Chelsea looked over at the parfait and giggled.

"That's quite the amount of calories, Ms. Strawberry. You're going to get fat."

"_Yup. I was right when I said irritating," _Mine thought as she took another bite of the fruity yogurt.

Lubbock looked over her, up and down. "_Man, she's got a great figure. I wonder what her bathing schedule is?" _He grinned with his trademark glint in his eye.

__Chelsea noticed his actions and responded accordingly. "Well, well, well. I know who the group pervert is now," she laughed.

"Eh…!"

Leone, who had said nothing this whole time, burst out laughing. "Ahahaha! She's got you there, Lubba," she mocked.

Chelsea's eyss grew sad for a split second before she brightened them up again. Tatsumi and Sayo noticed, and shared a silent look of agreement that they'd question her about it later.

Mine swallowed yet another spoonful of the yogurt. "So, that makeup box. What does it do, exactly?"

"Gaea foundation lets me turn into any living object by me," she explained. Chelsea walked over to Mine and patted her head. "Like this."

With a brief puff of smoke, Chelsea disappeared and became a splitting image of Mine. Her hair, her eyes, even her dress was copied down to the last detail. When Chelsea spoke, she even sounded like Mine, but her speech pattern was still her own. "Need I say- or do, more?"

"St-stop that! You're freaking me out," Tatsumi yelled.

"Oh? Am I?" Chelsea jokingly asked as she turned into Tatsumi wearing Incursio. Even when copying an Imperial Arms, the detail was impeccable.

Tatsumi closed his eyes. "I don't want to see it, Chelsea."

She morphed back into her original self with a sigh. "Fine, fine. I'll stop for now."

Ieyasu spoke, voice bold and aggressive, but friendly in a way. "So, Chelsea. You're more of the person who prefers to manipulate and trick, right?"

"Thaaat's right," she said with a wink.

"Then I guess I know who I'm staying away from when it comes to asking favors," Ieyasu mumbled.

"Oh, you. Don't be such a downer."

Chelsea walked over to stand by Susanoo, who was merely watching the interaction between his master's subordinates. She whispered to him, "Do you sense it too? The fear that they're too lighthearted?"

Susanoo replied without blinking, "I am an Imperial Arms. I don't have the best psychological understanding of others programmed into me."

"Well, at least you're honest, Su-san…" Chelsea muttered. She feared for these people. As much as she liked goofing around and messing with them, that same sense of humor and lightheartedness would inevitably kill them sooner or later.

Just like her last squad was.

Continuing the introduction phase, Najenda smiled and called out, "Alyssa, come on in."

The girl with the beanie and glasses walked through the door with a shuffle. Her face was downwards and her eyes were nervous. She stood next to Najenda, who put a comforting arm around her. "This is Alyssa. She's a little shy, so be nice to her. At least she's awesome when she opens up."

Summoning her courage, Alyssa looked up and made her best effort to meet the eyes of her new comrades. "As she said, I'm Alyssa. I was part of the 100 children that the Capitol bought and trained. Since I was only number 9, I was supposed to be injected with the ability-enhancer drug, but I managed to escape. Later on in my story, I saw the Imperial Arms Ammoderer: Game Over." Alyssa looked at Akame and recognized her immediately. "You… weren't you the first one who made it out of that test?"

"Yes."

"I remember bumping into you by accident when the rest of the children were being led away and you were guarding your little sister. I was the one who escaped along with three other kids? You recall that?"

"Hm… Oh. That guard who was kicked in the crotch and then stabbed? That was you?" Akame asked, memories coming back all of a sudden.

"Yep."

Lubbock took it upon himself to interrupt their conversation. After all, he really liked her style of dress. It was attractive to him for some reason. "So, Allie. What happened after you escaped?"

"Afterwards? Uh… well, let me tell you. Najenda, do you mind…? It may take a while," Alyssa said as she glanced at the clock on the wall.

Najenda shook her head. "No, go ahead, Alyssa. After all, some of the OCs seem bleak to the rea- oh, never mind. I don't mind."

"Um… thanks?" Alyssa said hesitantly. She had no idea what to think of this Najenda-woman just yet. "Anyway, it was just like how it was when Akame and I were discussing it… then it kinda went downhill," Alyssa explained as she elaborated on her story that made her who she was today.

**/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/**

"_Hey. The rest of you lot who didn't make the elite seven cut are going to come with me and my buddy," _an Imperial soldier had said. A wicked glint shone in his eyes as he glanced at his partner.

Alyssa, who was only 10 at the time, shivered in fear and moved slowly to the back of the line of children. She bumped into a stone-faced girl with red eyes and long black hair. A younger girl clung to the red-eyed girl like she would be wrenched away from her at any second. Despair soiled the younger girl's face, but the older girl's held determination. Persistence.

And most of all, fear.

"_Sorry…" _Alyssa mumbled and continued moving back. When she reached the very back, the guard who was protecting the rear shoved her forward. With a quick kick to the man's crotchular region, she slid behind him and shoved her knife into the guard's neck, akin as to one would do with a shiv. He gagged twice, then fell to the ground, dead. The other children turned around and stared at her, but she held up a finger to keep quiet. Then, three children stepped forward. A young boy with long red hair and multiple scars on his face stepped up and looked Alyssa in the eye.

"_I'm Benjamin,"_ the boy said as he nodded in acknowledgement to Alyssa's kill. "_This is Brax, and this is Coop."_ Brax was a sullen-looking boy who had dirt in his short, black hair. His eyes were shining brightly, though, as if he was excited by the idea of escape. He appeared to be strong. Coop was one of the older children in the 100, as she was 12 years old. Her neck-length auburn hair and pale blue eyes held nothing but sadness and despair.

"_We're going to escape with you. And I was right when I said you wanted to escape, right?" _Alyssa silently looked around and picked up the guard's pistol. She checked the magazine and was relieved to see it was full. Coop unsheathed the guard's sword and handed it to Brax, since she would have difficulty swinging it around. Ben took out his knife and gestured for Alyssa to hand hers over, since she wouldn't be needing it.

A young girl with marksmanship abilities and limited ammo.

A youthful boy with two, well-used knives with limited range.

A strong, preteen boy who had limited speed with the sword he was carrying.

A preteen girl who was proficient in hand-to-hand combat with limited protection.

The four of them made their way out of the facility, taking out the guards on the way. Since the four were only dealing with one or two at a time, they easily handled their situation calmly and collectedly. Going out the front or back would be suicide, so they headed up to the roof area two stories off the ground.

In the short moments the four of them spent together, Alyssa became very attached to them. Combat, and the general lack of friends during her mandatory training left her very lonely and depressed. As they were climbing up the stairs, Alyssa spoke.

"_Ben… why'd you choose to help me?" _

__Without stopping or averting his gaze, he kept staring up towards his goal. With a smile, he replied, "_Because we should help one another out instead of killing the people we were supposed to help out." _It was true. Parts of their training included killing some of the weaker children in the original 100. "_Besides, I want to get out of here and join the Revolutionary Army." _

"_Why?" _

__"_Well, I always liked the Rebel Armies over the ones here. They're cooler and they fight for what's right," _Ben replied.

Brax nodded at Ben's statement. "_In fact, once we got out of here, we were going to train up and join their army as soon as we could. We'd leave Ben alone to train for himself, since it's good experience, and he'd join our division as soon as he could. Now that you're here, want to help him out?" _

Coop smiled. "_You guys might even find love while you're training." _

Alyssa was completely oblivious to what Coop hinted at. "_Huh?" _

"_Never mind." _

The four of them reached the roof and stared at the beauty of the rising sun. "_Wow… I haven't seen a sunrise this beautiful in a long time!" _Alyssa gushed, as she stared at the sun as long as she could without hurting her eyes.

"_Yeah, it's really great." _Brax threw his sword down so that it stuck into the ground below. "_Formation?" _

__"_Yeah."_

Ben grabbed onto the edge of the roof and launched himself off. Alyssa reached out to stop him, but Coop held her back. "_Don't worry, girlie. He's done this a lot." _

With his free hand, Ben grabbed hold of Brax's ankle. Then he used his other hand to grab Brax's other ankle. The preteen boy lowered himself so that he was grabbing the edge of the roof as Ben had been doing. Brax looked up from where he was hanging and said to Alyssa, "_Your turn, Allie." _

They repeated the process until Coop was holding all of them. Ben let go of Brax's ankles and hit the ground with a grunt and a roll. Brax followed and landed perfectly. Alyssa hesitated, but Ben grinned and held up his arms. "_No worries, Al. I got you." _she dropped into his arms and blushed slightly as Ben set her down. He didn't notice her colored face.

The three of them caught Coop with minor difficulty and set her down. Brax picked up the sword he stole from a guard and hefted it over his shoulder.

Gunfire.

A sound of bullet hitting metal.

In an instant, Brax dropped his sword and took off running towards the trees. The rest of them followed suit and dashed off behind him. The gunfire continued, and multiple bullets scraped Alyssa's cheek. With blood spurting from the side of her face, she returned fire and shot the two guards pursuing them in the head.

"_Nice shot- er, shots!" _Ben yelled. He tossed Alyssa's knife to Brax. "_Just in case." _

__"_Just in case," _Brax repeated.

More guards lined up behind them. Brax waited for everyone to move in front of him before running after them. Alyssa looked behind to see Brax running the hardest he could, with multiple bullet holes that tore right through him. With a pained expression, he started to speak before he coughed up blood. "_Al… take my place…" _Brax keeled over from exhaustion. A guard caught up to him and shot him ten times in the back. With every shot, his eyes closed more and more. Eventually, they closed entirely. With one last gasp, he muttered, "_Live… you three." _

"_Brax! BRAX!"_ she screamed.

The guard shot his head, ending his life unceremoniously.

Alyssa turned and ran as hard as she could, tears mixing with the blood dribbling out of her cheek. After a while of running, she caught up to Ben and Coop who were resting in a hole inside the ground. They were obscured from direct vision, but anyone who took the time to look closely would see them.

Ben's expression turned cold. "_Where's…?" _

"_He… he died shielding me. I'd have died if he didn't shield me from the gunfire." _Alyssa was still crying as she sobbed out her report.

Coop hung her head, greatly saddened by the loss of her friend. "_Ben… what are we going to do now?" _

With fists clenched and eyes on fire, he growled, "_We get stronger. Then we come back here and murder every single one of these bastards!" _

"_Sounds good to me." _Alyssa's eyes lost their fear. Fear was replaced by intense murderous intent and passionate drive to extract revenge on her comrade whom she knew little about. She barely knew him, even.

But he was a comrade that she never had in her life before.

"_I'm in," _Coop muttered as she slipped on a pair of brass knuckles. The sound it made when she clanked them together spurred the other two on to find their trademark weapon. As they grew up, Alyssa would take to a two-handed broadsword with a pistol as a ranged weapon. Ben, on the other hand, grew to appreciate the power of a battle axe. Coop would remain with her trusty brass knuckles, in accordance to spiked boots and bladed kneecaps.

The trio entered the Capitol's basic training regimen, despite wishing to join the Revolutionary Army. Coop figured that they'd need training if the three of them were to join. All they'd do is feign being innocent kids, and they'd be perfectly fine. Through many hardships, the three of them grew very close and powerful, as well as logical, smart, and dependable. Two years passed since Brax's death. Almost immediately, Ben, Alyssa, and Coop made names for themselves in the squadron, due to their outstanding abilities.

Ben was known as "the two-edged boot." He earned this nickname from his first day of training. When two boys both age fourteen, got into a fight, he stepped in between them and jump-split-kicked them both in the crotch, sending them both clutching their nuts in agony. From then on, no one messed with him or the two girls he always hung out with.

Alyssa was known as "the Confidant." All the girls would gush out their problems to her, since she never spoke unless spoken to. Always quiet and respectful, she was often overlooked by the drill sergeants when it came to daily exercises. As she, Coop, and Ben struggled for the top spot in their squadron of trainees, her personality began to develop more. Her eyes brightened and held emotion from time to time, which many people appreciated. After all, many of the boys had a crush on her, but weren't strong or brave enough to ask her out.

Coop was two years older than Ben and Alyssa, so the latter two always referred to her as onee-san. Eventually, the nickname rubbed off onto the other trainees, as she was the oldest warrior-in-training there. Coop wasn't afraid to attack someone if they wronged her 'younger siblings,' but her short temper occasionally got her into trouble. Despite this, she was still a versatile member of the trainee squadron they were in as she was always in the top 5 of best recruits. Deep down, she was very friendly, but kept people from getting too close to her by glaring at them. After all, she didn't want to experience more pain like she did with Brax two years ago.

The regiment was excessively easy for the trio. Two years passed once again. Alyssa and Benjamin were 14, and Coop was 16. They graduated at the top of their training class, with Ben in first, Coop in second, and Alyssa in third. After deserting the Imperial Military, despite plentiful offers to become commanders of small forces, they set off to lend their skills to the Revolutionary Army. Unfortunately, it'd be a year before they were finally able to meet with a recruiter, who happened to be Chelsea. The pink-haired girl instantly took a liking to the three and brought them back with her to her division of Night Raid.

But before they followed Chelsea to their Night Raid life, they returned to the same facility that they were held at long ago. All of the guards were found tortured to death with various methods. There were even a few crudely made Judas Cradles stained with blood. Alyssa, Ben, and Coop had performed intensely painful torture on their former captors.

Chelsea watched as they poured their anger out on the guards. She noted that they had intense drive and determination, which was another one of the attributes she liked about them. Once every guard was dead, they followed her out of the building and eventually into her division of Night Raid's meeting room.

Battle after battle and trial after trial, Alyssa and her friends only grew stronger. On a mission to kill a drug-dealing store owner, Alyssa spotted the Imperial Arms Ammoderer: Game Over. In a split-second decision, she swiped it, due to hearing great lore about the video game-based Arms. To her delight, the console powered on, meaning it accepted her as its owner.

When she returned, she was horrified to see her entire division had been wiped out by the Three Beasts. Chelsea had escaped, but Coop was impaled into a tree and Ben was struggling for air. A nasty gash had been inflicted on his chest, and blood steadily flowed out of the wound. Alyssa's eyes widened, full of tears. If only she got there a few minutes sooner…

She rushed over to her companion's side. Ben, who only had a few minutes left to live, somehow managed to speak, albeit raspy and distant. His eyes were nearly glazed over with the frosting of death, and his voice was littered with pain and suffering. However, his smile held determination and hope for Alyssa. "_Alyssa… good job on finding your- hack - arms. You're stronger now. You need to fight for Coop and I-"_ Ben halted as he coughed up more blood, spattering Alyssa's shirt. "_... my bad. I want you to never forget us… my last wish is that you live and never forget us… ha… I'm a selfish bastard, aren't I… trying to slip in an extra dying wish, huh…" _

"_Ben… no... "_ Alyssa sobbed, as she fumbled for the game cartridge that restored the wellness of someone simply by drinking a potion. "_Ben.. hang in there just a little longer… don't die… you can't die here! You have to stand by me… because… because…"_ She slipped the cartridge in, powered it on, and moved as quickly as she could to materialize the healing potion.

"_Alyssa… use that game of yours to help Night Raid. Like the gash on my chest, some things just can't be changed. But some things can… escape your fate and surround yourself with powerful and reliable peo-"_ Ben's smile lost its hope and determination. His eyes were frozen into a state where no life existed anymore.

"_... because I love you…" _

Alyssa pulled the potion out of the magical screen and looked down at her partner's fish-scale eyes. Too late, once again. This time by only a few mere seconds. The seconds laughed at her, mocking her that she was too weak to change one word as simple as 'fate.' Realizing there was nothing she could do, she threw the bottle against a tree. It cracked and fell to the ground, red liquid oozing out of the container. The image of an item that restored life to a dead person popped into her head. However, an Imperial Arms could not revive the dead. She punched the ground in frustration.

Eyes full of tears and heart full of regret, she rested her head on Ben's chest. Her hair became matted with hot and sticky blood, but she didn't care about any of that stuff right now. Right now, she simply needed a few moments to grieve over her crush and best friend. Her tears stained his cooling chest as she let them flow, easing her sadness and grief somewhat.

She shoved her emotions aside when she heard the _clunk-clunk _of an Imperial Soldier's footsteps. Drawing her pistol, she aimed it with shaky hands at where the sound came from. With a puff of smoke, the soldier faded into a girl with pink hair, pink eyes, and headphones. Chelsea's head was hung as she walked slowly towards Alyssa.

"_Allie… let's go. Staying here will only hurt you," _Chelsea gently urged.

"_I… I know. Just give me some time… I loved him, after all." _

Despite their overwhelmingly depressing situation, Chelsea smiled the faintest of smiles. "I knew you liked him, Al," she thought.

Alyssa stood up and looked down at Ben one more time. She wiped her eyes clean of her tears, then turned to face Chelsea with grim resolve. "_Chelsea… you go on ahead. I'll be right there." _

"_All right. Don't lose me," _Chelsea said. She turned and walked away, shuffling her feet. Even though Chelsea could usually see the brighter side in every situation, her morale had been drained quite drastically. Over the course of the time she spent with Alyssa, Coop, and Ben, Chelsea had become very close to the trio as she found herself enjoying the company and their lightheartedness. However, Chelsea theorized that they had been goofing around when the Three Beasts had attacked, ultimately concluding that their carefree nature had gotten them killed. She hastened her pace to give Alyssa a few moments of speaking to her deceased friends.

"_Coop… you were my favorite girlfriend. No other girl understood me like you did. You understood my emotions, felt what I felt, and helped me through all that. You were the big sister that I never knew. Finally, now that I know what you were talking about around six years ago, I thank you as much as I possibly can. Even though it wasn't immediate… you helped me realize what love is. For that, I thank you again… Coop. My confidant, girlfriend, and warrior's equal." _

Averting her eyes from Coop's impaled body, she turned to her other friend. "_Ben… ever since you forced your way into my escape, I haven't been the same. You gave me a reason to get stronger, and ultimately, a reason to live. If you hadn't come along and suggested we joined Night Raid, I don't know where I'd be now. Dead, imprisoned, who knows? All I know is that I grew to love you over the years. I don't know if you returned my feelings, but all I can do is hope you did. Speeches aren't my thing… but I know you'd say to me if you could, 'Alyssa… you need to be happy, even though I'm not here. It'll be tough, yeah, but you gotta do it. For yourself, for the people around you, and everyone else. Be happy, Alyssa. Be yourself and don't give into anything or anyone.' Ben, that's exactly what you'd say. So, I'll honor your wish, no matter what." _

__Alyssa turned and began to walked after Chelsea slowly. After a few seconds of walking, she changed direction and walked back over to Coop. She brushed her hand over Coop's face and closed her eyes. Coop looked much more peaceful, rather than a frozen state of distress. She repeated the same action on Ben.

Knowing her friends were in a better place put a smile on her face. "_Ben… Coop… I'll make up for you. I loved every second we spent together. I'll see you soon," _she whispered.

As she was jogging to catch up to Chelsea, she whispered once again. "_I love you, Benjamin." _

Alyssa could have sworn she sensed Ben's corpse smile at the words.

**/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/**

"After that, I pretty much waited around with Chelsea to be assigned to a different division of Night Raid. In this case, your guys', I guess," she said.

"So that Imperial Arms you mentioned," Lubbock began. "What does it do?"

"Well, it's basically a handheld video game console that lets me materialize any of the main character's weapons or powers for a set time. It runs on battery, and the stronger the weapon is the faster the battery drains."

"So you could create a video game power item as long as the main character can use it?" Lubbock asked. He glanced at the lump in Alyssa's pocket.

"Yep. My trump card allows me to pull that one character into the game and fight them with no risk of injury to me. I can use it as many times as I like, but every minute I keep someone stuck in the game world, Game Over stays dead for that many days. So… if I pull you into my game, and you stay there for ten minutes, Ammoderer is disabled for that many days," Alyssa explained.

"Cool! I'm more into manga and stuff like that, but to each his- er- her own, I guess."

"Well, I think I know who's gonna be getting along pretty well…" Leone giggled. After all, she noted Alyssa's slightly-prominent hourglass figure and cute face that Lubbock was obviously drawn to. Her animal instincts sensed a different connection between them; not akin to what she normally sensed in Lubba. "_Heh. That's ridiculous," _she thought. "_Lubba's not that type." _Leone's thoughts immediately jumped to Tatsumi and how he changed quickly after Bulat trained him. "_Then again, not everything has to stay the same." _

Alyssa pulled the powerful Imperial Arms out of her pocket. It was rectangular and had two screens, one on the top and one on the bottom. The screen lit up, depicting an armor-clad figure holding a longsword with a orange-to-neon green stripe running through the center. The sword was kinked in the area just above the handle, and the blade itself seemed rather dull.

Lubbock glanced at the screen, excitement riddling his features. "So, can you pull it out?" The green-haired pervert grinned. "If you know what I mean."

"Ha, ha… no," she muttered. Choosing to ignore his dirty joke, Alyssa instead smiled and nodded. "I sure can." With a flick of her finger, she moved a small slider on the side of the top screen to that it was all the way up. With a spin and a thrust towards the sky with the Arms in her hand, she called out, "Lend me your assistance, Pyro Demolisher!" After she spoke the words, the longsword began to slowly emerge from the screen, handle-first. Alyssa grasped the handle with her free hand and tugged, forcing the blade to completely withdraw from the console.

"Uh… Alyssa? It's… kind of oozy," Mine muttered.

"I noticed that too," Lubbock stated.

Alyssa laughed. "Oh, it's meant to be like that. Sure, this blade is rather dull compared to something else I can get, but it's coated in a goopy liquid that explodes once it leaves my sword."

Lubbock, Mine, and Tatsumi all reacted accordingly and dashed out of the room, stopping only to peek around the corner.

"H-hey… the slime only comes off with a violent swing…"

"Oh." Lubbock, Mine, and Tatsumi all walked back into the room, embarrassment riddling their facial expressions. "Well, how were we supposed to know that?"

"Point taken," Mine muttered to herself.

Najenda looked around the room and saw that everyone had gotten settled in, or at least somewhat. "With the introductions out of the way, we can get down to business."

"What're we doing today, boss?" Leone asked as she slung her feet up onto the table. Najenda gave her a dirty look, but said nothing.

"A division of the Revolutionary Army, who was sent to squash oppression in the areas east of the Capitol, is experiencing severe trouble. I've been informed they lost 1,000 men from the hand of only 50 or so soldiers. Here's a map. Lubbock, if you would?"

"Sure thing, Ms. Najenda." The strategian flicked his strings out which caught on several sections of the wallpaper. With a gentle tug, he peeled away the layer of wall decoration until a map that covered the entire underside of the wall was revealed.

The Night Raid leader jabbed her finger into a spot on the map. "Here's where our comrades are getting crushed." She sighed and shook her head. "Sad thing is, the three generals who have the Three Beasts' Arms may have already died, and their Imperial Arms may have been stolen."

Tatsumi spoke up. "So, Belvaac, Scream, and Black Marlin could be in the hands of the Capitol again…? I'll crush them! Those _teigu _won't be disgraced like they were when Aniki and I fought them…!" He clenched his fist and stood up. Eyes burning and determination flowing through his veins, he looked Najenda square in the eye and said, "Najenda! I request permission to assist our allied forces!"

"Tatsumi, your valor and eagerness to purify the Arms is justified and understandable. However, I must deny your request, for two reasons. One, learning self-control even when you may not need it is a valuable thing. Secondly, Alyssa, Sayo, and Ieyasu haven't been sent on their first mission yet."

"What about me?" Chelsea asked.

"I didn't forget you. I'm merely saving you for later," Najenda stated with a mischievous smirk in her eyes.

"Hm…"

Ieyasu, who had stayed silent this whole time, uncrossed his arms and looked up. "So, we're being sent on our first mission, boss?" From his time spent around Leone, he had started to call Najenda "boss" as she did.

Sayo twirled her untested Excision of the Holy Ones. "I've tested Excision out plenty, but now's my first opportunity to actually use it against an opponent. Let's just hope he can match me in battle."

Alyssa spun Game Over on the tip of her index finger. With a snap, she sent the console flipping through the air until she caught it. "I'm the calmest in the worst situation," she said.

Mine looked down at the mention of these words. "_Sheele…" _She shook her head. "_Be strong, dumbass." _

"You're all right in your assumptions. Yes, I want Ieyasu, Sayo, Alyssa, _and _Lubbock to go together and find out what's going on in the East."

"Wait, why me?" Lubbock asked, unclear to why his leader suddenly assigned him the task of journeying a good distance, away from his doujinshi manga and comfortable study.

"Let's just say that there's safety in numbers. Also, the more the merrier," Najenda said. This kind of statement from her was very unexpected, and all the members who were familiar with Najenda seemed perplexed at her action.

"_In reality, I sense something building between Alyssa and Lubba," _she thought. "_Good thing Lubba's too oblivious to notice, though." _

Um… boss? How will we get there? The East is really, really far away. It's almost as far as our village…" Ieyasu muttered.

"Alyssa? I presume you remember what I talked to you about?"

"Yeah. I got it," Alyssa replied. She popped a cartridge into Game Over that had a large "7" on it. With a flick of the switch on the top screen, four small, but tough-looking vehicles appeared from the Imperial Arms. One was a white-and-red striped racecar with giant red wheels. The second was a sleek, black cruiser with normal wheels. The third was a vehicle strongly resembling a go-kart, except there were large, navy-blue tires. The last vehicle looked akin to a toy train made out of wood. Even the wheels were wood.

"WHOA. Dibs on the train thing," Ieyasu called out.

"I want the low-riding black one!" Sayo exclaimed.

"Sweet! I wanted the go-kart anyway," Lubbock stated with a grin.

"Well, you three catch on fast. We'll be using these to get to the East. They're actually quite swift, so keep that in mind as you drive." Alyssa turned to her three comrades, with a wicked glint in her eyes. "So, who's up for a race?"

"Oh, you know I am."

"Sure, why not?"

"Um… okay."

Najenda walked up beside Alyssa and placed her hand on the gamer girl's shoulder. "As you can see, Ammoderer has more uses than just weapon producing," she said.

**/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/**

"All of you… I'm sorry."

Wave was surrounded by fifteen soldiers in front of him. His back to the wall, he drew Grand Chariot's blade and swung it once, across a perfectly straight plane. The Revolutionary Army's soldiers all fell the the ground, perfectly bisected at their waists. He kicked half of a corpse away as he went to meet up with Ran.

The winged man looked down from above the same cliff Wave had his back to. "Wave… I need to talk to you about Kurome…" he whispered.

**/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/**

**With that, I am rather saddened to announce that this story is now on hiatus. :( But hopefully it'll be better when it returns! I look forward to seeing your reactions. :)**

**The Slain Executioner, slashing out. :) **


	11. The plot thickens- as well as nosebleeds

**AN: So, after a long hiatus, I can proudly say that the this chapter is available for you to read! I wrote numerous oneshots, started a random series in Kid Icarus, a serious story in Kid Icarus, and a drabble series in AgK. I plan to write a fic for Another, as soon as I finish one more drabble and a chapter for my serious Kid Icarus story. I hope the story has been improved and now I have some insight on where I want it to go, precisely. Remember, I love the reviews and seeing what you guys think. So don't forget to follow, fav, and review! Please do it! It makes me very happy when I see it in my email. Make your author happy. :) **

**Here's the long-awaited chapter 11 of Sayo and Ieyasu: Killers of Fate. **

**OH. There is an important message at the bottom of the story.**

**PS: It involves you, the reader. **

The Amsalja meeting room was much more concise, formal and luxurious than the large room that the original one hundred were introduced to. Contrary to how the enormous room for everyone was, this meeting room was small in comparison, approximately 10x10 meters. A deep, cherry-colored wooden table adorned the center of the room, with ten revolving chairs surrounding the room's centerpiece. Other than that, there were few lights just enough to make the room dim, but bright enough to complement the darker colors of the meet-table and chairs. There were no windows whatsoever, but one lone, small picture was nailed to the wall. Strangely enough, it was just a simple painting of a field of flowers with a small, rustic, countryside village directly behind the field of splashing, fluid colors. The mysterious brunette woman who still wore her elegant black, sweeping dress, was seated at the head of the table.  
downcast.

The young, purple-haired commander of the Amsaljas kept his mouth in a twisted line of pain. Despite the immediate medical treatment he'd received when he returned from his semi-failed mission, his arm still had a dull pain that throbbed quite noticeably on the stub every now and then. Many a time he'd visibly flinch and clutch what was left of his arm in his good hand. Maybe it was the shock, maybe it was the fact that his weapon was supposed to counter the Arms that took his limb off, or maybe it was just the lingering pain. However, Steele was one-hundred percent certain that it was from the guilt of letting his comrades die. Emily and himself spent hours formulating a special plan for the attack, as they discussed various matchups based on physical ableness, Imperial Arms, and the environments, even going as far to discuss speculated mental state. And yet, half of his squad had been bested and killed? This was horribly unacceptable for Steele. As he was thinking these thoughts, his shoulder began to throb again, that same, dull, aching pain recurring in his body yet again. It never grew old, as a painful reminder that he'd failed as a commander. He took in a breath. It was time to tell his commander the bit of news he'd wanted to tell her the moment we was assigned control of the Amsaljas.

Mentally-challenged Frim was still himself, as he twitched every now and then. However, there was a sadness hidden deep in his hazel eyes, which bounced along with his jet-black hair when he spasmed. Even though he had trouble thinking off the battlefield, he was still semi-conscious of what just happened to his friends and comrades. Slaughter. He was aware of the slaughter that had occurred during the battle. Every now and then, he'd mutter, "Peace… please, just… peace…" Out of all the Amsaljas, Frim was the one least likely to continue serving a specialized fighting unit. All the poor, retarded boy wanted was to live happily and in peace, whether that be alone or with a significant other.

Rika hadn't been herself ever since they returned from that fateful valley. Her normally-radiant, cleanly cropped below-the-neckline red hair lost its glint, as she had fallen out of the habit of taking care like she used to. Her eyes, formerly cold, plummeted to the temperatures of freezing and glinted over as if nearly dead with the look of fish scales, as if she was a machine. Every day she trained silently on the bags in a workout room, kicking and punching silently while the sweat ran down her face and into her eyes, perhaps as a tribute to her brother's fighting style. After every exercise session, she'd return with eyes bloodshot; not from crying, but from the salty sweat dripping into her eyes. Rika's eyes were continuously open because she thought that if she blinked, she'd miss the chance to see her brother alive. She even knew he was dead. But her mind held onto the hope that he was somehow alive and would return one day. However, Rika wasn't the type to hope for the impossible. "It's just a natural reaction of the mind," she'd always mutter to herself. "It doesn't mean anything that I'm asking the impossible. It's only normal…" While she had become aware of her former aerial instructor being so close to her, and despite them sharing a very close bond long ago, she couldn't focus on him at the moment. Her kin, her own _twin_ _brother, _the one whom she shared a womb with at one time, had been murdered and she couldn't do anything about it anymore. Rika was far from giving up. But she just needed time to grieve properly, and that time hadn't begun yet. Her body was still in shock, not even from the knife wound in her chest, even after the days had passed. The meeting room felt sorely out of place to her, but an order was an order. So she came, curious about why the Mistress had summoned what was left of their unit.

Rika's presumed-dead instructor, with shiny, short black hair, sat slumped in his chair with arms crossed. His grey eyes held a different intensity than Teykra had on the field of battle. They seeked revenge, as the darkness always does every single night when it conquers the sun… until the sun triumphs over the moon for another day. It's a never-ending cycle, and Devvon saw this in the aspect of guerrilla warfare, the kind of warfare that assassins played by: it never ended. No matter how much they fought, no matter how many people were massacred, the war would inevitably drag on until one side surrendered. Then it was a simple case of crushing the last corner of the war-triangle. With their numbers of able warriors, not counting the numerous backup armies they had, 'twoud be a sweeping and effortless victory. However, the cycle saddened him greatly, and he wished to end it. That's why he chose the side with powerful numbers, as they'd be more likely to end the war faster. Devvon didn't know why he was fighting for "the Mistress," but he knew that she wanted to crush the evil in the empire and eliminate Night Raid. That was honorable, right? And with their numbers, they'd get it over with sooner, right?

He was wrong. Oh, so very wrong. None of them would know that, until it was too late, too far down the line to turn back. Oh, no. The woman was not only a master of deception, she was able to hold her own in combat against anyone, as it was rumored. She was the Far Western region's version of Esdeath, as her opponents have all fallen in less that two movements. Those that lasted two strikes were the most able warriors from around the entire globe, not just the surrounding borders of the Empire.

She spoke, voice tenor-deep and alluring to those not let in on her secret…

On the Far Northern side of the Empire in the Night Raid HQ, Tatsumi suggested that Najenda hold a mini-tournament of luck and skill while the others were away. He proposed the idea when he became very, very bored. After all, he hadn't been in a skirmish since the demise of Seryuu, and he was itching to test out the new Neuntote. After all, it had shifted from the nostalgic spear to a claymore and shield, which he wasn't sure how to feel about just yet. While he did appreciate the quick shift, he wanted to take after Bulat and fight like he did. Besides, a spear gave a fresh new outlook on battles, even though he'd need many hours of diligent training to master it.

Najenda had loved the idea, and even volunteered to take part in it. She immediately went to go get the rest of the members. Surprisingly, everyone agreed to take part in the festivity, as no one disagreed immediately. She laid out the rules, with a few twists on what Tatsumi had suggested. While he'd said no Imperial Arms and protective gear with the corresponding weapon to the user, Najenda permitted Imperial Arm use, with proper control. The battlefield was a very large patch of land, with no obstacles except a few boulders and trees here and there, and even then the obstructions were sparse. Juu would struggle without an Arms, but he was far from helpless, as he was ranged _and _close-combat oriented.

The premise was simple, actually: Get the opponent into a state of surrendering or totally dominate them. They were free to do that however they wanted to; however, no one was supposed to be seriously injured. Sure, a punch or kick was obviously going to sting, but a lasting wound wasn't supposed to happen here. When everyone had made it to the rectangular arena, Najenda reached into a box that looked oddly similar to Akame's betting box and pulled out a name. "The first contender is Akame!"

Akame sheathed her Demon Sword and picked up a katana of equal build, weight, and length. "So this way, I won't kill anyone if they fail to block my attack." Leone's eyes were wide with fear until she saw the red-eyed killer slide her _teigu_ into a state of harmlessness. Then she sighed and turned to Mine, who was standing by her. "God, that scared me. I thought Aka-chan would forget about the poison…"

"I was worried, too, until I considered that we'd just have to be good. Or she had to be controlled…" Mine stated as she trailed off before continuing. "... but I don't think that's gonna happen. Scary," she muttered as she watched Akame slowly walk onto the arena, slowly unsheathe her substitute weapon and let the glare overtake her face. "... scary…" Mine muttered again. She adjusted the position of Pumpkin on her shoulder. "... I just hope I'm not up against her first."

"Same here," Leone nodded. While she was peerless as a beast in hand-to-hand combat, her weaponry was less than subpar. Sure, she could attack with a sword or spear, but she was far from experienced. Maybe she'd ask Tatsumi to give her swordsmanship lessons. It gave her another reason to spend more time with him. So, for the tournament, she'd rely on her senses and her experience of battle with her comrades to win the competition. However, Leone was hesitant about going up against Akame. After all, she was the most wanted criminal in the Capitol for good reason, killing hundreds, if not thousands.

"The second contender is Juu!" Najenda shouted as she reached into the other box, which also resembled Akame's other betting box. The Night Raid leader looked over to see his blue eyes widen in surprise. She could almost read his thoughts: "_ME? Go up against AKAME?" _Somewhat surprised, she looked again to see the fear erased from his face, replaced with determination and bravery. Quite surprising, if you consider his normal personality, which was timid and somewhat self-doubting. Maybe it was because he didn't have an Arms, but Najenda thought it was because of his prosthetic leg that he was doubtful of his, quite honestly, excellent capabilities.

"Remember I'm the judge, so don't argue with me," Najenda stated. "Otherwise you may find yourself being punished."

"Has anyone ever been punished here before?" Tatsumi asked Leone with a worried look in his eyes.

"Not that I know of, hon," she replied cheerfully. Leone got the look she always did when she was about to boobify his face, but Mine stopped Leone with a glare as if to remind her, "_He has a woman now, dumbass."_ Leone chuckled at this action. She was really looking out for their relationship, wasn't she Or was there a hidden motive behind her actions?

"I'd hate to see how boss punishes people…" Tatsumi shuddered. His mental image was not the same as Esdeath's torture, but he had a feeling it wasn't pleasant… a question popped into his mind out of nowhere. "Boss, what does the winner get?"

"The winner gets to come with me to see the Imperial Arms that are at HQ," Najenda stated. "After all, poor Juu here doesn't have a _teigu _yet, and I'm sure he'd like one. So, regardless of who comes out on top, Juu will be coming with myself and the victor to pick out an Imperial Arms. If the winner happens to be Juu by some turn of events, then I'll pick the one who did the best in the competition besides him." Truthfully, Najenda knew from her many military years of experience that if Juu, a newcomer with unique abilities, bested Akame, the Empire's most feared warrior aside from Esdeath and Budou, he could defeat the rest of his challengers as well. How? She knew about his insane amount of drive that Juu had when he got fired up, which was… never. She figured this was also a good time to test his potential and if she needed to spend special time with him to toughen him up. In her mind, this was basically a training session for specifically Juu, but everyone else also benefited, making the whole ordeal a win-win.

Diverting her thoughts back to the tourney at hand, she looked at Juu, who stood in a ready stance with his katana tilted blade-up towards the sky, both hands on the handle, ready to parry or strike. The belt of chakrams was polished and shining quite brightly, as it was a sunny day. Instead of his normal slim-fit black-and-white t-shirt, he wore a baggy t-shirt with random lettering strewn on it. His bright, blue eyes faded into a shade of icey blue, akin to the Demon General Esdeath. Somehow, she sensed that he wouldn't go down easily…

"Now it's my time to repay you for not coming to untie me earlier!" Juu shouted coldly, but jokingly. Leone and Najenda chuckled while Akame smiled.

"Juu, I won't go easy just because you're new around here," Akame lied as she stepped forward and raised the katana to her chin-level with one arm, her trademark battle stance. "... ready, Juu?" She crouched lower to the ground. Despite her extensive combat experience, she had never fought against an opponent with a prosthetic leg armed with homing missiles, reflexes that almost matched hers, and circular blades he declared were chakrams. She'd never heard of them before, but they were big and circular-shaped. So could she grab them? That was the question. It would be risky… so she decided that after he threw the first one and she successfully dodged it, she'd pick it up and glance at it before throwing it back.

"Ready, Akame-san!" Juu made the first move by plunging his sword into the earth and pulling a chakram off of his custom-made belt. It glinted brightly, almost too brightly in the sunlight. Akame crouched lower, ready to dodge or strike if the occasion called for it. However, he spun and threw the chakram in the instant the glow permeated her vision. Before she could gracefully dodge, she found herself being forced to throw herself into a clumsy roll that ended up with her on one knee as the chakram whistled by her ear. To her dismay, she found the chakram Juu threw was attached to his belt, as he snapped it back into his hand effortlessly, like her dodge was supposed to be.

"How's that, Akame-san?" Juu asked as he plucked his sword out of the ground. His eyes were nowhere near confident, as he was outclassed, but he was somewhat pleased with his result. After all, he forced Akame to dodge, an achievement of note. Too bad it wouldn't matter on his resume later on in life.

"Good, Juu. Your trickery and technique are spot on. But-" Akame said as her voice trailed off. In an instant, she was in front of him, pressuring his sword into close-combat, her specialty. "... can your arms keep up with my strikes?" Akame calmly asked as she linked together a sword strike, opposite-hand-punch, and sweep-kick. Juu dodged the sword attack with a grunt and teeth clenched. The punch, however, caught him off guard, resulting in him taking part of the blow on his cheek. Storing away the pain for later, he steeled his prosthetic leg, the one Akame was targeting in her sweep. Oh, did Juu have many hidden abilities his comrades had no idea of…

"HYRAA!" he shouted as the false limb became fastened to the ground and the stub of his leg. Akame's heel bounced off the metallic replacement with shock running up and down her leg. Her eyes widened at this strategic advancement. Was this planned? Did he want her to think that his false leg could be knocked off? Well, no more. She wasn't about to get shown up by Juu. She was supposed to be teaching him how to fight!

He threw out another chakram, directly at her hoping to distract her for another strike. This time, she was ready, and with a clean slice, severed the thread attached to the reeling mechanism on his belt. She quickly tied the string to a loose loop on her dress, saving the ringed weapon for later. Despite being the most able assassin in Night Raid, she was also very good at planning out strategies. Not as good as Lubbock or Sayo, but she was formidable on her own plans and plots. She knew his kicks would be lightning-quick, but she hoped hers were faster. Her plan hung on the speed of her kicks and the snap of her hips, but she was sure she could work around it if the plan backfired somehow.

While Akame tied the string to her loop, Juu had thrown another chakram, only for it to fly wild and lodge itself into a tree. He left it attached to the reeling system, as he was busy fastening the sword's handle to the reel mechanism. He tossed the sword up into the air, jumped up after it, and kicked the handle with his prosthetic leg as hard as he could towards Akame. What put a damper on his plans was that she anticipated this, and leaped up in the air after he began to kick his katana. Since she was now in close, the kicked weapon flew past her. Juu tried to ready a chakram, but not before Akame had performed a frontflip for momentum and launched a looping axe kick straight onto his guard. While the attack alone didn't do any damage to him, the fall certainly would… Juu plummeted to the ground, barely catching himself on his prosthetic, protecting him from major injury. Akame swooped back to her jumping point and pulled her own katana out of the dirt.

"Urgh… hurts," Juu muttered while rubbing his arm. He pointed his sword at Akame, who had gone into her ready stance once again. "I'm surprised I lasted this long, Akame!" he shouted, sweat dripping off his chin.

"Honestly, I am too," she said, never leaving her stance. She wasn't sweating just yet, but he could tell she was breathing _slightly _faster than normal… just a little… without making it look obvious that he was staring at her chest. After all, it wasn't half-badly sized, but he wasn't looking at her in the perverted way. This was all for the sake of battle, so he could prove his actual worth to Night Raid! … right?

"Ouch, that's cold… especially when you say it like that…" Juu deflatedly said. Shaking his head, the fire returned to his cool, blue eyes. "I'm going to be very able on the battlefield after this match!"

"We'll see," Akame whispered with a smile. She decided to take the initiative and preemptively attack before he could ready another chakram or kick out his sword again. She hadn't held back in a fight for god knows how long, and it had been even longer since she was ordered to restrain herself.

What had Tatsumi been teaching him?

By faking defeat, she could boost Juu's confidence and strengthen him at the same time. Win-win… except for her. Akame only could hope and pray that Juu would defeat the other Night Raid members he was pitted against, as she was the only one Najenda spoke to about Juu pre-tourney.

As if her voice was crafted from the finest of silk, yet laced with the toughness of nails, the words had an eerily welcoming aura to them. The four remaining Amsaljas were all drawn like a moth to flame, hypnotized, yet fully conscious of their surroundings. "I suppose you're wondering why I never reveal my name. However, due to your noble efforts in the field of battle against the Jaegers, I have speculated and decided on the notion that I'll reveal my name to you four only. As I hate my confidentiality being broken, I presume you all will never utter my name around any but yourselves, correct?"

The answer was spoken with a deathly discouraged note. "Yes."

"Good. I knew you were all exceedingly reliable from the moment I met you," the soon-to-be known leader of the Amsaljas said.

"That's because you used Spectator to read our thoughts…" Devvon muttered. Despite the dark situation, the aerial instructor of Rika managed to bring a slight chuckle to the other three assassins. The mood quickly shifted back to the gloom that permeated the room once just seconds earlier.

Steele spoke up. This wasn't an easy question for him to ask, let alone anyone. It could possibly get him killed. But as the leader of the Amsaljas, he knew that he had to take responsibility and ask the question that had been on each of their minds ever since their comrades were lost. "Mistress… why do we fight for you?"

"My, my. Aren't we needy, requesting me of my name and then my desires." She giggled after she fell silent. "To answer your question, Steele, I fight to eliminate the evil in the Capitol… and the borders. Yes, while Night Raid may continue to oppress the Jaegers, we can swoop in and crush them both, which speeds up the process of acquiring total peace for this entire region. Then, once we're finished here and I establish one of you as ruler, the rest of us shall move on to purify the neighboring regions. Eventually, we'll bring peace to the entire world! All I need is capable and trustworthy warriors like yourselves. We can bring the evil and corruption to its knees, then slice it up into tiny pieces. Peace will arrive as soon as you can imagine it, all I need you to do is imagine and act on it!"

"Mistress… wouldn't that just create an endless loop of war? After crushing all the opposition, wouldn't more opposition arise from the ashes, leading to a circle of fighting and strife?" Rika asked. It had been the first time she'd spoken in days.

"My dearest Rika, I appreciate your sharp-minded insight. Much to your delight, I have an answer for you, my love. It all depends on how you go about crushing the opposition. If you do it with force and arrogance, people will inevitably try to revolt against you. If you conquer with a reluctant attitude, as if you feel deep in your soul that you have no choice but let your powers be known throughout the lands, commonfolk will be more compliant in joining you. I choose the latter as my form of brewing peace and tranquility. Wouldn't you, my precious warriors?" 'The Mistress' said as she answered Rika's question.

"I see. So by joining the side with the superior resources, we can end this age of strife faster, right?" Steele said as he looked up from the spot where he stared at. Where did that picture come from…?

"Exactly, my dear boy. That brings me to another reason why I called you here. There's a very able sniper in the Capitol, and it's rumored he even has a gun-based Imperial Arms to back it up. I want a couple of you to go and convince him to join our cause. After all, while I love Frim's amazing bodily… efforts, I would like a sniper to deal with far-away foes," the woman in black stated.

"Isn't my scythe good enough…?" Devvon mumbled.

"The more, the merrier," she replied. She reached behind her and pulled out a picture of the man. A round face in his mid-twenties, messy, straightened chocolate brown hair that drooped over his eyes, and pale-green eyes stared back at the four of them. A noticable scar lined his cheek, as if a bullet had ripped the flesh from his face at one time. His smile was lopsided, as if he hadn't a care in the world. "His name is Aaron."

"So this is the guy, huh?" Steele muttered as he took the flyer from "the Mistress'" hands. "Looks pathetic."

"Now that's the Steele we all know and love," Rika murmured. "Always derogatory to others he doesn't know."

"Thanks," was his simple, curt reply.

"Oh! How rude of me, I almost forgot," 'the Mistress' exclaimed with a snap of her fingers. "I haven't told you my name yet. It's Tempestt."

"... why were you so ashamed to tell us? It's pretty," Rika pointed out. She genuinely liked it. The name was elegant and music to the ears, as her appearance was also elegant and artwork for the eyes. Deep, soul-staring green eyes, long brunette hair that was combed straight, and a killer smile that floored any man who caught sight of it.

"I don't like my confidentiality being strewn about," came the reply. "_And they fell for it. Splendid." _

Steele looked down at the floor, burning a hole into it. Teeth clenched in frustration, he muttered to himself. "Damn, I didn't get to tell her I'm not fit to lead the Amsaljas. I chickened out."

"What was that, Steele?"

"N-nothing, milady. I was just mourning over the deaths that came to be under my hand…" he mumbled while throwing a guilty look on his face. She obviously fell for it, since she responded quite differently than if she'd heard his initial statement…

"Don't dwell on that. You couldn't do anything except do your best, and you did. Good enough for me," Tempestt replied.

Truthfully, she was enraged that she lost some of her best fighting machines. Simple toys be used and commanded by her hand.

Lubbock rounded the corner at full speed, letting his _teigu's _thread take the turn sharply for him. In the act of wrapping the razored strings around the tree, he'd brought the tree- and many others a few turns ago- down, blocking off the path of Sayo, Ieyasu, and Alyssa. The wind in his face, blowing his silky-green hair back, he relaxed a little knowing he had a large lead on his competition. To his dismay, he saw an arrow shoot out of the treetops and lodge itself in the tree he passed seconds ago. With a violent screech, he saw Sayo and her kart emerge from the bushes, covered in leaves and vegetation. As she accelerated, Sayo wiped the leaves out of her hair and smirked at Lubbock. "You're not the only one with a grabbing system!"

Lubbock focused his attention back on staying ahead, as he had done the majority of the 'race.' "_Damn it all, I can't lay down my threads on her. That'd be cheating- not to mention fatal. Oh, I could intercept her shot in the air. That'd throw her off," _he thought with a grin. As he rounded a 90-degree turn into a rock face, he bounced himself off the wall with Cross Tail's vast utility. Just as his battle-tested, strategic mind thought, an arrow came flying through the sky, about to lodge itself in the tree. With a flick, he sent his threads pursuing the arrow. The strings hit their mark and sent her kart flying way off-course with a small jerk of his hand. He laughed, and withdrew his strings. With his free hand, he held the wheel leisurely and effortlessly steered into a winding dirt road. He looked up and was shocked to see Alyssa and Ieyasu battling for the top spot.

"Wait, what?!" Lubbock screamed, and began an elaborate combination of shooting out his threads, wrapping it around an object, propelling himself forward, and repeating the process. Within a minute, he caught up to Alyssa and Ieyasu. Grinning, he sent one string out and it wrapped around Alyssa's exhaust pipe. The same thread continued to wrap around Ieyasu's exhaust pipe. With a violent tug, he sent the both of them crashing into the forest's vegetation. "Ah, Cross Tail. Such a valuable partner in battle… and in races!" he exclaimed with a smirk.

What he forgot to do was withdraw his string from the exhaust pipes. So when those two came to a stop, so did he. Lubbock went flying back to Alyssa's place of crashing and landed smack-dab on top of her, forcibly plastering his lips onto hers. Their eyes widened simultaneously and made contact, making it even more awkward. For a second, neither of them could move, simply out of pure shock. Then, Lubbock got a hold on his senses first. "Allie…! I'm sorry! I forgot to undo my… huh? Blood?" Lubbock licked his lip and tasted the coppery tang of blood. The liquid began to flow out more freely, and Alyssa's anger immediately faded into sorrow. After all, she knew it was an accident.

"Lubbock, are you all right?"

"Y-yeah… this is nothing. But I'm really sorry about that, Alyssa… I forgot to undo my wire when I trapped you and Ieyasu," Lubbock stammered as he tried to defend his cause. "_Boy, her boobs felt nice pressed up against my chest- no! Perish the thought, Lubba! Think of Najenda-san!"_

"It's… all right. I know it wasn't intentional," Alyssa said with a small smile. "But if I find out that you intentionally did that, I believe someone will be missing a ball later on…"

Lubbock visibly cringed. "Gods, that sounds awful. I hope it doesn't happen anytime… I'm gonna need both after Night Raid disbands!" he smugly stated with a wink.

Ieyasu, who had recovered from his crash and was listening in, muttered to himself, "I feel like that's already happened, Lubba…" "_What am I thinking? He's alive and well." _Ieyasu was ignored.

"Well, then I hope and pray for your cause that it was an accident, then."

"I-it was, Alyssa! I swear!"

"Fine. I believe you."

"Whew…"

Sayo screeched to a halt in front of the recovering trio. "Where'd your karts go?"

Alyssa sadly smiled. "Oh. They went back into the console, since they were damaged too heavily," she muttered while shooting daggers from her eyes at Lubbock. The longer she 'shot,' the smaller he shrunk.

"S-spare me, Alyssa-chan…"

She ignored him. "I'll just power Game Over off for now, so we can all walk to the location. After all, it's not far. A couple miles at best," Alyssa stated. Her mind was perfect when it came to directions.

"I'm glad you're our navigator and not Ieyasu…" Sayo mumbled.

"I didn't have a good map back then! Stop beating on me!"

"Wouldn't have mattered. You'd still get lost even with the most seasoned navigator by your side," Sayo continued, shaming Ieyasu even further.

Hoping to divert the attention from his predicament onto Ieyasu, he took a jab at the axe-wielding young man. "Yeah, this _loooser _over here got lost in town on the way to my bookstore. Riiiiight, buddy?"

"Hey! Shut up, at least I saved Juu!"

"More like drove him back to sanity…" Lubbock grumbled in response.

The bickering foursome stopped for a second, as they were interrupted by a shriek and a cry for mercy. The shout echoed, so the victim was a decent distance away, but not out of running distance.

Instantly, their minds went from bicker-mode to teamwork-oriented. They were prepared to do battle at a second's notice; the scream was their notice.

"Come on! Someone's in trouble!" Ieyasu harshly whispered as he scrambled to his feet while grabbing his axe in the process. With one swift motion, he unsheathed it. While he ran towards the sound, he hefted it on his shoulder. "Good to get some fresh air, eh buddy?" Ieyasu hadn't pulled his axe out in quite some time, as he'd never needed to. With a burst of speed, he considered himself the advance guard.

Sayo elegantly jumped up from the grass and leaped through the treetops in the same direction Ieyasu left in. She readied her harpooning-system and shook in excitement. "Now I finally get to test out Excision of the Holy Ones against an actual opponent!" she exclaimed happily. The silver, black-streaked bow almost quivered in excitement along with its owner. She caught sight of Ieyasu running on the path. She was the sniper or the rogue of the group, hiding until forced to emerge from her cover.

Alyssa called upon Ammoderer and pulled out a broadsword with two protruding spikes on the end on the blade. A solid grey line ran down the middle of the blade, ending at the handle. It looked more akin to a hammerhead shark's head. "These are the Jaegers. If I remember correctly, Grand Chariot is a _teigu _along their ranks. This sword will do extra damage along with shock when I hit him."

"Ah, that's an Armorslayer," Lubbock said with a grin.

Alyssa looked shocked. "You know the series?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"Honestly, now. What self-respecting tactician doesn't love the Fire Emblem series?" Lubbock replied smart-ass-ly, grinning all the while. "Come on, Alyssa," he said while priming the tips of his fingers with the claws. They could be used for close ranged fighting as well as spitting out the wire. "Let's go show the Jaegers what we not-used-so-often units can do, huh?"

"Sounds good," Alyssa replied with a smile. They ran off on the same path Ieyasu did, following his footsteps.

"So," Lubbock huffed while they were running. "What do you think of Night Raid so far?"

She giggled. "I like it. You guys are fun and I like being around all of you. It makes me feel welcomed and at home, something I haven't gotten to feel in a while." "_Despite you crashing your lips onto mine, that is…" _She decided to omit this tidbit from her response.

"Really? Not even with the other Night Raid division?"

"Sure, they were nice and all, but there wasn't the same level of closeness that you guys have. At least, to me," Alyssa replied, tilting her head and smiling. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask you. What do those goggles on your head do?"

"They let me see the boobs of any girl I look at while wearing them!" Lubbock joked as he pretended to put them on. Alyssa fell for it.

"S-stop! Don't do that! Lewd! Perv!"

"Oh, Al. Do you really think that I could afford x-ray goggles? No," he yelled with a giant laugh. Lubbock nearly tripped, he was laughing so hard! The tactician gained his footing and quickened his pace to catch up with Alyssa.

"I-I was just testing you. Yes, that's right. Testing you…"

Their bantering continued all the way to the field of battle, where Sayo and Ieyasu were engaging with Wave and Bols, respectively. Sayo and Wave were having trouble out-speeding the other, as Wave's attacks came hard and quick while Sayo's came precise and calculated, ranged or close. Ieyasu and Bols were battling with their literal fiery prowess, and neither seemed to be gaining any ground. A face they did not recognize was valiantly fighting Ran with a brawler's claw on one hand and a book of magic held in the other. The magical claw-fighter took a blow from the wings, sprung back, and let loose a graceful array of swirling, teal-colored magic. It struck Ran, bringing him down several feet from his aerial position. Clearly, the angel-_teigu _did not appreciate magic. The tome-wielder's hood was up, so the gender was unidentifiable.

"Alyssa… we don't have a mage in our group, do we?" Lubbock hesitantly asked. "Wait, who was the one screaming?"

"My guess it was that guy." A Revolutionary soldier was sprawled across the ground, a gaping wound stretched across his midsection. "Lubba, it doesn't matter. Sayo's a match for Wave, Ieyasu's putting pressure on that bulky guy with the mask, and Mr. Magic over here is holding his own, since that looks like Gale magic," Alyssa replied. "Now hurry! We should be useful and thin their ranks while they're preoccupied!"

"You know magic, Al?" Lubbock asked as they ran towards a squadron of enemies. He watched in complete awe as Alyssa threw the Armorslayer into the Imperial Arms and slowly pulled out an enormous hammer made of bone. There were spiked bones on the face of the hammer for added damage. She twirled the hammer in both hands for a second before setting the handle on the ground with an audible _thunk. _

Wow, was she ever versatile…

"I studied magic during my trainee years. While I did make it into the school of magic, I never graduated. However, for every one-hundred kids that attend the school, only four or so end up graduating with the ability to use magic. So yeah, you could say I know magic, a little," she replied with a giggle. "Funny, isn't it."

"What's funny?" Lubbock asked, as he readied Cross Tail into the special string formation he used to deal with groups. However, it wasn't perfect, as Cross Tail's weakness was large amounts of enemies gathered in one place. Despite that fact, this didn't mean Lubbock was down and out when it came to large numbers. "Allie, I'm gonna need you to shield me. With your help, I can kill all these guys with no problem," Lubbock stated as he thrust his hands upwards and cast his threads to the sky.

"Oh, I just think it's funny that I once studied magic and now I'm using this giant hammer," she stated with another giggle. By now, the enemies had been alerted of their presence and immediately circled around the duo. These soldiers were the last of the modified ones Stylish worked on, and they were the elite of the elite. Axes, lances, bows, swords, and even clubs were held by these fearsome, enhanced humans.

Lubbock's eyes held no fear. Instead, they danced alight with the fire of amusement. "Cover me, Allie-chan," he said out the side of his mouth. This was going to be fun.

"Yeah," Alyssa said as she moved in front of her comrade and pointed her hammer at the sky. A battle's ability to strengthen bonds knows no bounds, and this one was no exception. From the skirmish they were in, their lives were at stake. However, they'd have it no other way, as this subconsciously brought them closer to one another.

"..."

"I can't believe it…"

"Holy shit."

Akame lay on the ground, wrapped in Juu's string. A look of pure, unaltered surprise was plastered all over her face. After his chakram throw went wild and lodged into a tree, he violently tugged on it, forcing it to come free. That generated a large amount of momentum, and it flew past his hand when he tried to catch it. The circular blade arced around Juu, and snapped around Akame's body right as her "preemptive strike" turned into "preemptive fanservice." The string lifted up Akame's skirt partways, revealing her panties somewhat. Coincidentally, the thread also wrapped around her chest below her breasts, forcing her… prominent assets to stand out… much more. Juu hurried to untie Akame, only to receive a ferocious nosebleed- not from Akame, but from his hormones. Akame sighed, as this scene seemed quite familiar to her…

"Juu."

"Hrghlph," came the muffled reply as he tried to calm the steady stream of perv-o blood spurting from his nose.

"Juu!"

"What?"

Akame smiled. She whipped her body around and broke free of the threads. "You did a good job. I was ordered to go easy on you, but that plan flew out the window when you pulled that chakram out of the tree… with that much force." The Demon Sword wielder held out her hand. "Good match." Akame ignored the fact that her and Juu met the same way, with a nosebleed on Juu's end.

Juu took her hand and shook it, a smile lining his facial features. Sure, his blonde hair was matted with sweat and dirty, but it was still cute. "Thanks, Akame-san. Thank you!" He paused, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Actually… it was… uh, what you'd call a 'fluke?' Is that the right word?"

Akame's face turned into a blank slate. "... that chakram-tug was an accident, then."

"Erm, yes it was."

"..."

"..."

"Well, can't do anything about that," Akame said with a small smile. "You win either way, Juu."

"Really? Honestly? How…?"

"He got lucky," Mine muttered. "That's how." She received an elbow to the ribs in return. "Oof."

"Shut up, Mine. This is his big moment; don't ruin it for him," Leone hissed. She had a soft spot for Juu, as she had one for Tatsumi when he joined.

"Ngh. Fine."

"After all, luck does play a huge part in battles. Ask Lubbock, who's planned out a few missions with Najenda. Or, even ask Sayo, as she's an aspiring tactician," Leone stated.

"I guess you're right."

"Wow, something must be seriously off if you admit you're wrong, Mine. What's up?" Leone asked with genuine concern.

"N-nothing." "_Besides the fact that I'm attracted to Tatsumi, not knowing what to do with the emotions except keep them bottled up? Yeah, I'm totally fine, Leone." _

"Hmm… you're going to tell me more later," Leone promptly stated. It wasn't a question or suggestion, it was an order. An order that Mine desperately wanted to carry out, yet also wanted to weakly shy away from. Mine was torn.

The matches continued without hesitation. The next match was Leone vs. Mine. Leone won quite easily, as Mine's close-combat was nothing compared to Leone's. Plus, the Lionelle granted the user so much speed that she could dodge Mine's shots. Leone went on to face the winner of the match involving Najenda and Tatsumi, which surprisingly, Tatsumi won. His shield came in handy for blocking Najenda's prosthetic attacks. Tatsumi and Leone's match lasted a great while, since they decided to rely on hand-to-hand combat with their _teigu. _In the end, Tatsumi's armor let him hold out longer, despite Leone outclassing him. Juu then had to square off against Tatsumi, who pitied the boy. He had no Imperial Arms, so being the sport Tatsumi was, disabled Incursio and left the auxiliary armament deployed instead. But to everyone's surprise, it wasn't the claymore and shield.

It was Bulat's spear, only shorter to fit Tatsumi's smaller, agile size. "Yes! Neuntote is back," Tatsumi said gleefully.

"What… you wanted it back?" Leone grumbled. "That's what won you your match against Najenda, jackass."

"True. But what student can be called a man if he doesn't wield his deceased teacher's weapon?" Tatsumi asked with a boyish grin that made Mine's heart flip.

"_So. Cool." _

__"True, Taht. You're smarter now."

"You've grown very much, Tatsumi. I hope Juu learns as much from you as you learned from Bulat," their leader said with a smile.

"He's teaching me well, ma'am," Juu replied. "I've strengthened myself so much from him."

Tatsumi decided that they'd spoken enough It was time to let their steel do the talking for them. "All right, Juu. Use everything I've told you and take me down!" Tatsumi shouted as he rotated the spear in a circle, blending the blade and handle into one.

Juu swung his _katana _downwards, and crouched to the ground. "I'm ready, Tatsumi."

"Sweet!" Tatsumi exclaimed. With a burst of speed, he launched himself at Juu, spear extended. "Class is in session!"

Spear and blade met, forming sparks that flew as they battled. Tatsumi started off with doing a spin-attack with his grip at the end of the handle for maximum reach. Juu dodged underneath and went in for an upwards, sky-bound strike. Tatsumi dropped Neuntote to the ground, sidestepped Juu's upwards strike, grabbed the spear and used the handle to try and smack Juu. Juu blocked it with his prosthetic leg and swung around for another kick. Tatsumi dodged beneath the kick, and let a kick of his own fly towards Juu's head. With a backwards-handspring, Juu threw a chakram at Tatsumi before spacing himself to snap the circular blade back. Anticipating a chakram storm, Tatsumi spun to his feet and dashed towards Juu. He received a shallow cut on the side of his face, but barely noticed it in the heat of battle. Tatsumi swung the Danger Beast's spear all the way back for a power strike. As Juu went into a defensive stance, Tatsumi fell to the ground and slide-tackled Juu's back leg. He crashed to the ground with a _thump, _with Tatsumi's blade pointed right at his throat. "Always be prepared for a surprise attack, Juu," he said. "You did really well out there, buddy. Don't get down just because you lost. Use the loss to get better! I know I did whenever Aniki and I trained together," Tatsum continued with his trademark grin.

"_He's over the death of Bulat," _Mine stated to herself. "_What strengthened him so much…?"_

"Ah, when will I be able to beat you…" Juu mumbled.

"Maybe once you have your _teigu," _Tatsumi replied with another grin.

"Oh yeah, that's right! We can go now, right, ma'am?" Juu called out to the leader who was smiling at the result.

"I have no objections. Shall we?" Najenda said as she motioned to the Air Manta stationed across the field.

As the leader, Incursio, and the yet-to-be-named wielder of a _teigu _walked across the plain, Leone saw Tatsumi slap Juu on the back. "They're so similar," she murmured. "It's scary."

"What, Tatsumi and Juu?" Mine asked.

Leone shook her head. "Nah, Land Mine. I was talking about Bulat and Tatsumi. Juu looks up to Tatsumi as Tatsumi looked up to Bulat. Bulat's aspects have rubbed off onto Tatsumi, making Sayo all the luckier."

"Well, except his gayness," Mine stated with a chuckle.

"Hahaha! You're right!" Leone exploded with laughter, then stopped to catch her breath. "But seriously. Juu is going to become a warrior akin to Tatsumi. Even Lionelle can feel it," she declared as she touched her belt, where her Imperial Arms was worn.

Mine sighed as she watched Najenda and the two boys take off on the Manta. "I honestly don't doubt it."

**AN: I hope you like it. Oh, yeah. Crucial decision time. Do you want that claw/magic-user to join the Jaegers or Night Raid? Or not at all? Because I have a plan for either one. Or, the not at all...**

**Important message: I hope you all realize how much this means to me. Even the fact that you're reading this makes me happy. I didn't think this would get much attention, and now it's gotten somewhat big in the AGK archive. I love each and every one of you who reads, and I can't thank you enough. This is a big boost to my personal self-confidence as well, and I recently agreed to go to a lock-in with one of my friends. However, I don't know anyone else there. I think this is from you guys and seeing the massive amount of favs/follows I have on this story giving me the confidence. :) You're all awesome and you should be reminded of that all the time. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I hope I can continue to supply you with content you all enjoy. Thank you so much!**

**If you have questions, comments, or inquiries ( xD ) leave them in a review. I'll reply, don't worry. Also, give me ideas for my drabble series, "Sayo and Ieyasu: Drabbles of Fate." :) **

**The Slain Executioner, slashing out. **

**PS: You're awesome.**


	12. Why does it hurt so much?

**AN: Sorry for the long wait. Details are explained in the end, so read for them. ;) **

**If you have snipits for characters that'll help them develop, leave them in a review so I can know. I want to make the cast grow closer, so humor can be incorporated ore often. Thanks!**

**Here's chapter 12. Stick with me to the end! There may be a sequel, depending on how much you like this one. As always, read, review, and leave constructive criticism! Thank you!**

**!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/**

"Hey, what are you planning on doing…?" Alyssa nervously asked. The enemies began to circle around them and closed the gap so that the longest spear was only a few feet away. She became nervous since she didn't know what Lubbock had planned, and the tactician was usually unpredictable in everything he did. Not that amazing of a trait when it came to partnership battling.

"... Hnngh. All right…" Lubbock mumbled with a grin. "That should be enough."

Alyssa heard a faint whistling noise, as if someone was whipping a string through the air back and forth repeatedly. It grew louder, and Alyssa became anxious at what would happen. He'd said it wasn't perfect, so she didn't know if to have undying confidence in him or die while confident.

"... Puzzle Pieces!" Lubbock shouted as he threw his arms towards the ground. The strings he threw up not long ago crashed to the ground, with Alyssa's bone hammer keeping them safe but messily slicing the enemies into shreds. Blood flew everywhere, with dismembered limbs and bodily fluids splattering onto the duo. Alyssa shrieked and Lubbock growled as they became drenched in the liquid spilled by death.

"Gross!" Alyssa groaned as she tried to wipe the blood from her purple hair. She failed, and ended up smearing more blood around on her head. "We can't wash these either, dammit! We'd end up slowed down and bait for the enemy!" She glared at him. "I'll acknowledge that as a super-awesome technique, but does it have to be so damn messy?!"

Lubbock wiped blood out of his vision, for some had begun to cling to his eyelashes. He laughed. "Oh, if only I'd developed this earlier. But in answer to your question, Lissa, there's not really any other way for Cross Tail here to deal with massive groups of enemies. I'm better one-on-one," he stated, lifting up his coat to reveal the intricate system of wires wrapped around his back waist. He sighed in relief knowing that it was fine; that no blood had stained it.

"_Maybe we aren't the best pair for the battlefield…" _Alyssa thought. "_Groups aren't my specialty, either, since Ammoderer struggles to create wide-ranging weapons without wasting a ton of battery power." _She interrupted her thoughts with a somewhat foreign notion to her own mind. "_At least he's fun to hang out with, even if the situation isn't the best for socializing." _

A voice rang out from the trees. "Oh, but it pains me greatly to see heroes of my lands in distress! Alas, I would do nothing if not for my Water magic!" A huge pillar of salty water crashed down onto Lubbock and Alyssa. Surprisingly, it was relatively warm water, so it wasn't completely unpleasant. On the bright side, the blood was mostly washed out and Alyssa sighed towards the stranger who just dumped aqua on them.

"Thanks, but give us a little more warning next time, would ya-" Alyssa paused, then burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. "I can't believe it's you!"

Lubbock was confused. "Um… Alyssa… you know our mage-friend?" The figure that just emerged from the overgrowth was the exact same robed figure that was fending Ran off. Now, with her hood down, she was seemingly normal, except for her erratic style of speech. Long, blonde hair, piercing grey/blue eyes, and a lopsided smile was all they could see. Her robe, a brilliant teal shade, reached down all the way to her lower knees. It hid everything else that there was to see. Especially from Lubbock.

"Yeah, I do. My good friend Deidre and I were in the same magic class before she passed me up and graduated," Alyssa said with a playful hatred behind her words as she gently shoved Deidre in affection.

"Alas, but I have made you drenched," Deidre dramatically drawled. "It would be quite a shame if I faltered in restoring you to your parched state." She paused as she reached into her robe and pulled out the same book she used while fighting Ran. "Gale!"

A ferocious wind whipped up around Lubbock and Alyssa's feet, forcing Lubbock to fasten himself to the ground with his strings. Alyssa clung to his arm for dear life, afraid of what would happen if she dare let go. Soon enough, the magic stopped, and Deidre walked towards them with a smug smile on her face before she continued speaking.

"I have come from a long line of obscure mages, Cross Tail. 'Twas but an easy task of forcing the angel man to retreat," she elegantly stated as she twirled in place. "Many a time I found my fabled book of Water magic, Pielchon, trembling in excitement as it hungers and thirsts to cut down aerial units! Ah! The thrill has escaped me and now it's excruciating! I must fight more! Adieu, Cross Tail! Adieu, Allie!" Deidre darted off to find Ran and challenge him again.

"Ah, it was good to see her again," Alyssa said with a smile. "I haven't seen her in a few years now."

"Um, is she always like that?" Lubbock asked. "Well, either way, we don't have any more blood on us."

"Yes, she always is, unless something's horribly wrong. C'mon, let's go check up on Sayo and Ieyasu."

Lubbock and Alyssa hurried through the forest, battling branches and dashing through underbrush to back to the clearing from whence they came. They were greeted with a sight that they'd rather not have seen.

Sayo lay on the ground, completely and totally unmoving. Her chest even refused to move. Blood slowly oozed out of a side wound and she was covered in scrapes, but strangely enough, no cuts. Excision of the Holy Ones was nowhere to be found.

Ieyasu was badly burned, his skin charred horribly. His eyes were closed and he, too, seemed to be dead. His axe lay beside him, presumably because it was not an Imperial Arms.

"Sayo! Ieyasu! No!..." Lubbock screamed, then staggered over to where Sayo lay. He collapsed onto his knees and stared down at her, bloody and bruised up pretty badly.

Suddenly, Sayo's breath returned to her lungs in a huge gasp for air. "Ah…"

"Sayo?!"

"I was… holding my breath to make sure I was thought dead," Sayo coughed out. It wasn't easy for her to talk. She was in danger of bleeding out and needed treatment immediately. He turned to Alyssa, angst in his eyes.

"Do you have anything in that console for this? DO YOU?!" he yelled, frantically looking over at Ieyasu. He, too, was holding his breath to convince the Jaegers to go away. Ieyasu began to drag himself over to Lubbock and Alyssa, but Lubbock screamed in response. "Stay there! You're hurt; we'll come to you!" Tears began to well in his eyes as the thought of losing his newly-found comrades slowly began to shatter him. Despite them being new, he still treasured them as he had Sheele and Bulat. Lubbock remembered how painful it was for himself to go through that time. He didn't want it to happen again. But most of all, he certainly didn't want their newcomers to feel the angst and sorrow they had when Sheele and Bulat passed on.

"I can't…! We'll be stuck here if I use a healing potion!"

"Damn! DAMN!" Lubbock screamed, punching the ground every time he vented his frustration, but was silenced when a hand was placed firmly but gently on his shoulder. He looked down to see Sayo holding his shoulder.

"Lubbock, we aren't going anywhere soon. We didn't survive Lubora for nothing," she stuttered as her blood level became even lower. "We'll b…" Sayo was cut off when she lost consciousness.

"No! Alyssa, pick her up and spawn something to get us back! I'll get Ieyasu. Just go, NOW!"

"Uh, uh…" Alyssa fumbled with her console as she struggled to not let panic overtake her.

"NOW, LISSA!"

"There's not enough power to make something!" Alyssa moaned as she was forced to put her console back in her pocket. "I can't do anything!"

"Quick, bring them here," A solemnly-familiar voice rang out. It was Deidre, completely serious about the situation. "I live not far from here."

Alyssa picked up Sayo, careful not to injure her wounds further. Ieyasu was strong enough to stand, but not strong enough to move. Lubbock, in his adrenaline rush, picked Ieyasu up in one smooth motion. Deidre took off in a direction, forcing Lubbock and Alyssa to run after her. Were the Jaegers gone? Was Deidre's place safe?

"You're both gonna be all right, all right…" Lubbock mumbled over and over as they ran. Ieyasu had picked up his axe and held it close to him as Lubbock ran at full speed. Adrenaline did funny things. Lubbock caught up to Deidre, even though she was carrying nothing.

Lubbock burst into the small, one-room cabin Deidre must have lived in. He set Ieyasu down on one bed, then waited for Alyssa to catch up with Sayo. Eventually, Alyssa came through the doors, huffing and puffing. Lubbock would have made a jab if not for the grim situation looming over their heads.

There were two beds, one on each side of the cabin. Other than that, there was a stove, a closed door, a table with two chairs, and an icebox. A small painting of Deidre and someone else was hung on the wall. Deidre noticed Lubbock looking at it, despite his panic. "That's my brother Kory. We've lived here for a while. But he knows healing magic, something I don't," Deidre softly spoke while looking at the floor to give Lubbock privacy.

The closed door opened and Deidre jumped up, giving her brother a pleading look. "Kor, you gotta help these two. They're badly injured and I tussled with their injurers, and boy, I almost died," Deidre said.

"Hm." Kory walked over to Ieyasu and examined his injuries. "Can you walk, young man?"

"Y-yeah, barely," the burnt-up warrior replied. Ieyasu immediately closed his eyes, tired from all the exertion he'd been through. Within seconds, he fell into a deep sleep.

"You'll be fine. The girl… may need some more attention." Kory walked over to Sayo and placed a hand directly onto her bleeding cut. Sayo unconsciously twitched as he applied the magic to her wound. It stopped, but the gash was still there. "I manually started a blood clot forming," he said. "However, it'll take time for it to fully heal, so I'll bandage it." Deidre took the hint and took a roll of bandage out of a cupboard adorning the wall. Kory wrapped the deep, angry wound tightly with many yards of bandages. "Let her sleep, now. Rest is best for the injured," he stated.

"Will they be all right?" Lubbock mumbled, hoping that all was not lost.

"The girl will be able to slowly walk when she awakens. The boy can walk as soon as he wakes up. However, I'll treat him with some burn ointment and a spell I created not long ago. Lucky for you four, I happened to be here at the time," Kory said with a drawn-out sigh. He seemed more irritated and ticked to help than genuinely concerned. Slumped shoulders and messy, tousled hair didn't help his appearance any in the caring department.

Deidre noticed this. "Don't misinterpret coldness for uncaring. Kory's always like this, so it just takes some getting used to."

Alyssa and Lubbock could only nod at the explanation. They were both shocked that their comrades who were so resilient and durable had fallen temporarily. Were the Jaegers that powerful so that they could take out Sayo and Ieyasu, survivors of Lubora? Did Ieyasu even use his elemental powers? Lubbock knew it was _teigu _vs. _teigu _in the case of Sayo and Wave, but he didn't know how Ieyasu managed to go at it with Bols for so long.

"All right," Kory sighed, retrieving a bottle of clear liquid in the process. "Young man, this is going to sting quite a bit, but I promise you, it'll speed up the process of healing many times over. Normally, burns of this intensity would be unhealable, but thankfully, magic is a strange thing." Kory drizzled some of the liquid into a clean cloth and started to gently wipe Ieyasu with it. Ieyasu visibly cringed in his sleep as Kory treated him with his ointment.

"I never could figure out how this works…" Deidre mumbled. "But in return, it's only fair that my brother doesn't understand attacking magic," she stated somewhat smugly to Alyssa. After all, she had great confidence in her brother's healing abilities and trusted him completely. So, she naturally wanted to lighten the mood, as she liked being wordy all the time.

Alyssa was relieved as well, however; she was still worried. "Kory, how long will it take them to recover?"

Kory was busy readying a staff with a dull-glowing orb stationed at the very tip. He chanted a couple things out a book of magic, then tapped Ieyasu's solar plexus twice. Ieyasu woke up with a cough and a loud moan. Other than burned, the brave young warrior seemed to quite all right, minus his cringing.

"Oh man, why do I sting all over…? Wait, where am I? Alyssa? Lubbock? What are you doing here?" His eyes widened when they landed on Sayo's badly wounded body. "S-Sayo…"

"She'll be all right, Eeya," Lubbock stated. "Kory, that guy over there, is the one that healed you. He'll restore Sayo's health too."

"I think I deserve a title more worthy than just 'that guy over there,'" Kory mumbled, but a smile plastered over his mouth gave his true feelings away.

"Ugh… what happened?" Ieyasu muttered, clutching his head in discomfort. "I have a headache."

"Did you get hit anywhere?" Kory asked, trying to figure out why he had a headache.

"No, just burned. I got that big guy pretty good, though," Ieyasu replied, smiling through his pain.

"Strange. I have no idea then. Maybe it's just a side-effect," Kory mumbled as he turned away from Ieyasu to rummage around in a cupboard for something stronger to treat Sayo's wounds.

Ieyasu sensed movement outside, even in his injured state. His head jerked up and the charred fighter leaped to his feet in a surge of energy, pushing Kory out of the way. However, Ieyasu was too late, as the arrow that flew through the open window lodged itself in Kory's shoulder. The healer hissed and bit back a curse.

"I'm- I'm sorry, mister… I couldn't get to you earli-"

"Shut up!" Kory groaned, in evident discomfort from the arrowhead embedded in his flesh. "Don't blame yourself for saving my throat! Take that girl there and hide her under the bed, then go and do the same for yourself!"

Ieyasu did as he was ordered, knowing that in his state he was in no condition to fight. However, if an enemy raided the house, he'd leap to his feet and eliminate the opposition immediately. He needed to protect Sayo, and Ieyasu also felt as if he had to repay Kory for basically saving his life. He gently, but swiftly, lifted Sayo off of her bed and slid her underneath it. He performed the same action for his side of the room. Ieyasu shuddered with guilt that he'd been beaten too badly to go and help Lubbock, Alyssa, and Deidre, who had already rushed out of the door to protect the three helpless individuals inside. He clutched his axe, ready for the very worst to come storming in through the doors.

**!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!**

There was a squadron of about fifty of the Jaeger's stragglers who were left behind in their leader's retreat. Deidre spotted the long-range archer in the trees and blasted the tree with a surge of Gale magic. The tree toppled to the ground, crushing the sniper underneath with an awful _squish. _Only ground enemies remained, but there were so many of them. Deidre parried a sword strike with her claw, then sent a solid line of fire straight through a couple soldiers who had attempted to create a formation, leaving a trail of strewn-about gastric juices and organs. Sensing a presence behind her, she leaped into the air and fired Sea magic onto an unsuspecting swordsman, drowning him instantly. More enemies seemed to be coming from all angles, and they quickly overwhelmed her. She stayed strong and fought valiantly, waiting for backup to come from Alyssa or Lubbock.

Alyssa felt terrible about leaving Kory behind in the shack with Sayo and Ieyasu, but she had no other choice. All she could do was hope that no enemy could sneak through Lubbock's guard in which he had hastily erected. She reached into her Imperial Arms and pulled out a shotgun. It needed very little energy and was effective in groups like these. She faced the enemy in front of her, took aim, and fired. Being heavily modified through alchemy, he dodged the shot and lunged forward at her, thrusting his axe towards her in the process. Suddenly, the man stopped dead in his tracks and froze in place. With no warning, his head popped clean off of his body. She looked at the headless corpse dripping blood to see two bloodied strings returning to their grinning owner. Lubbock gave her a thumbs up and went back to his task at hand: forming a wire axe that was excessively sharp. Alyssa took the rescue action as a source of adrenaline and used the shotgun as a pole-vault to leap over three soldiers huddled together in a strange formation. Twisting and turning in midair, she poised her shotgun and fired down at the three. Bullets riddled their heads, inevitably leaving them to fall over dead. Alyssa landed neatly in the branches of a tree, waiting for her next targets to come into sight.

Lubbock had the most difficulty of the three before rushing to help Alyssa. While his wires were razor-sharp, they weren't much good if he didn't have sufficient time to ready a group-attack. The Jaeger soldiers were attacking in pairs, two at a time. It took all his hand-to-hand combat skills to fend them off using his claws with slight thread extension, since he had no time to assemble a weapon out of his strings. While this method proved to be quite effective in punching and kicking, it struggled against weapons, especially longer ones like spears. He quickly became tired, but pushed his body to keep on fighting. He'd taken a few light hits here and there, and he'd feel the cuts in the morning. Lubbock knew he had to get out of this predicament alive, because he didn't want people to experience pain over him. A soldier thrust a spearhead at him, forcing him to jump into the air and whip a union of threads in a slashing motion. Lubbock smiled at the perfectly clean decapitation he'd just performed, but that smile was wiped away when the circle around him closed in on him. Fortunately, there was a delay in between their chain attacks, leaving him a tiny window of opportunity to counter. Fail and he'd die. Succeed and he'd live. Lubbock crossed his arms and then whipped them out to their full extent violently.

He succeeded.

Threads flew everywhere, viciously circling around Lubbock's body. The longer the cyclone of threads stayed in motion, the larger it became, mowing down enemies as they tried to dodge it. Soldiers that touched it were ripped to shreds, leaving their discarded rembrandts on the ground, splattered in their display of death. Lubbock's arms soon tired, forcing him to stop. The tactician had eliminated his share of the enemies, anyway. Suddenly, he heard a scream that certainly wasn't Alyssa's voice.

Lubbock rushed over to the other side of the house, to see ten soldiers piled on something- or someone. The horde of enemies twitched as they struggled to hold- one could only guess- Deidre down. In the short-term end, she prevailed. With a giant explosion of Gale magic, she sent the soldiers flying far off and shakily stood up. There were horrible, angry bite marks on her face, arms, legs, and even her clothing covering her stomach and chest. The chomp wounds were deep, as thick, maroon blood spilled from every wound, audibly dripping onto the ground behind her as she stumbled towards Lubbock, who stood there in tear-soaked shock.

"Cross- Cross Tail… they started biting me. I think…" Deidre gulped as she tried to find the voice to keep on speaking to Lubbock. "... I think their teeth contained brutal poison… ah… must the great mage of many a failed generation, Deidre, end by primal form of survival where man eats man...?" Deidre coughed violently and spilled more blood from her mouth. Lubbock hadn't noticed that one of her eye sockets was oozing out a whitish-red pulp that he only assumed was her eyeball formerly. Veins still attached to their nerve endings were visible in the socket of mush, making Lubbock's stomach churn in repulsion. "... Cross Tail… be so kind as to inform me of your name…" Deidre was using a massive amount of energy to keep on speaking in her normal wordy way; leading to her inevitable demise even quicker.

"It's… it's Lubbock," he blurted, rushing forward and picking her up in his arms. She rested her blood-soaked head against his chest, and sighed. Lubbock didn't care one bit about the blood staining his clothing this time; when a comrade's blood spills on your own clothes, you have no choice but to be overwhelmed with terrible, soul-consuming guilt, as Lubbock certainly was right then and there.

"Lubbock… hah… a fitting name for a valiant hero of your sorts," Deidre whispered, her voice becoming weaker and weaker with every word. "I humbly ask… of you. Please…" Deidre began, but was cut off with a violent shudder that even made Lubbock tremble from its intensity. Lubbock knew she was going to pass, but he refused to accept it, even with her voice becoming weaker with now every syllable.

"Deidre, I'm going to get you to Kory, and he'll save you, okay?!" Lubbock screamed, beginning to lose control of his emotions. Seeing Sayo and Ieyasu nearly dead shook him up greatly, but seeing someone who lent her strength to him just recently and so eagerly sent an earthquake running through his conscience.

"Lubbock, hero of thine own decisions, I bestow upon you the books of magic I once wielded. Pielchon, the vicious, tearing book of the Sea, and Iliajarhn, book of the Gale, I present you… with your new carrier. Lubbock…" Deidre whispered, voice barely audible.

This was it. Lubbock knew what was going to happen. He leaned down so Deidre could whisper to him.

In a completely normal, calm tone of voice, Deidre sighed with contentment. "Tell Alyssa… I said goodbye." Deidre barely choked out the last words before her remaining eye glazed over and her body became stiff and rusty. Lubbock held the dead young woman in his arms for a second, frozen with shock. He slumped to his knees, gently setting the corpse of Deidre down.

He was right in front of the door to Deidre and Kory's cabin.

Legs shaky and arms wobbly, he stepped through the open doorway to see Ieyasu trembling under the bed, crying. Sayo was still unconscious, but he knew they were both all right. Kory, however; was struggling to remain alive with an arrow lodged in his shoulder. His breath was ragged and labored, but he managed to hang on. He glanced at Lubbock standing in the doorway with Deidre stiff in his arms. A sad tear began to trickle out of Kory's eye, and he turned his head away from Lubbock.

"So… she's gone." Kory's voice was weak and distant.

"Can't you heal yourself?" Lubbock asked, softly. He'd known Deidre for a very little time, but what truly made him upset was Alyssa's reaction he'd have to watch. One of anguish and despair. He'd seen it enough, with his friends perishing while he stood strong under Najenda's command. While Sheele and Bulat had fallen to much despair, he'd stayed strong again.

He didn't know how it was to watch someone else grieve while he was fine. All of his allies under Najenda's command had died, leaving no one left for Lubbock to watch grieve. Everyone in Night Raid was saddened with the aforementioned warriors' death. He gently sat Deidre down on the bed and gently laid the book of Gale magic on her chest. Slowly and tenderly, he grasped her hand and placed it gently on the book's tattered cover.

"It's better in your hands…" Lubbock whispered. "As the proper wielder."

"Lubbock… was it?" Kory muttered. "I'm not gonna make it."

"I thought you could heal people!"

"Not… myself," Kory said with a dejected smirk. He sighed, immediately cringing afterwards. "Healers can't heal themselves. Don't ask me why, but it doesn't work. I've tried many times… but it just doesn't work."

"That's bullshit!" Lubbock yelled, running over to Kory's side. He looked at the wound, eyeing it up and down. The arrow went in deep, but it's nothing a careful extraction and a properly bandaged wrapping could fix. Unless… what was that smell in the air?

"Kory… is it poisoned?" Lubbock asked straight-up.

Silence.

"I'll… be here until you…"

"No. Go out and help your friend. There's a few stragglers out there…" Kory paused, interrupted by a series of coughs that made him spit up blood. "... go out and help her. She's still alive, as are you. I'm going to die, and…" Kory paused again, only this time ridden with grief since his sister passed. "... Dei's dead. Help Al. Go back to your unit."

"Wait, you knew who we were?" Lubbock asked, face towards the ground in shame for being found out.

"It's obvious, considering your skills," Kory smiled. "Go. I'll be right here… when you come back."

Lubbock looked to Kory, to Deidre resting peacefully yet battered on the bed, to Ieyasu huddling in the corner, to Sayo sleeping contentedly. The severity of the situation fell upon him like a ton of bricks. His comrades had fallen, and he'd have to hustle if he didn't want his newly-found comrade to fall before him, as well.

He rushed out the door to meet up with Alyssa, though his compassion told him to do otherwise.

**!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!**

"I swear, all of these _teigu _don't work for me…" Juu mumbled as he picked up Belvaac, the axe that had been used against Tatsumi's mentor, Bulat. Juu was greeted with a pounding headache until he set the damned weapon back down again.

A line of seven other _teigu _lay on a long table, all of which had rejected Juu as their owner. There was one left, though. That was the Moonlight Sword: _Shamshir, _the katana that relied on the moon's cycle to deal bladed wind damage. If the moon was new, it acted as a normal katana with no features. However, the stronger the moon's rays, the stronger, faster, and larger the blades of wind were when Shamshir was swung in a quick arc.

Tatsumi had his fist under his chin in a thinking pose. "The Shamshir might like you since you use a katana for melee," he suggested. Juu simply sighed and picked it up, expecting the eighth headache of the day. Instead, he felt as if a small keyhole had been unlocked deep within him, and he swore he heard a _click._ Juu picked up the sword and hefted it a couple times before gradually evolving his smile into a full-on grin.

"Juu! Congratulations!" Najenda smiled. "I'm glad it worked out for you in the end," she said. "Now, since tonight is supposed to be a full moon, I need someone assassinated. I'll explain this to the rest of the group when we get back to HQ, but there's a shady group that's been quickly wiping out the Capitol's troops."

"That's good for us, right?" Tatsumu asked, interrupting Najenda, who gave him a dirty glare.

"No, it's really not. They also wipe out the Revolutionary Army just as quickly. I think they pose more of a threat to us than the Jaegers to at the moment. After all, half of the Jaegers were killed by an elite squadron of the group," she explained, voice deepening as she became serious. "As for the mission, Juu, I'll fill you in when we're back at HQ, but remember, he's got an Imperial Arms that is the prototype of Roman Artillery: Pumpkin."

"Like Incursio is to Grand Chariot, right?" Juu asked, glancing over at Tatsumi for confirmation.

"Eh… I honestly can't remember. Well, when I fight Grand Chariot, we'll find out who's the prototype," he confidently stated with a smile.

"I have more details back at base. Boys, want to go back now?"

"Sure," Juu replied, shrugging his shoulders. He tried to contain his excitement, but failed, as a smile emerged from his lips.

"And Tatsumi, you'll be accompanying Juu on his mission," Najenda stated. "Remember, this is Juu's turn to shine. Don't steal it, Taht." The contagious nickname that Sayo brought to Night Raid for Tatsumi began to rub off on everyone, including Najenda.

Tatsumi smiled and high-fived Juu. "All right!"

Najenda grinned. He could be such a kid sometimes, but that's why everyone in Night Raid loved him dearly and would hate to see him die. He'd won everyone's heart so quickly and effortlessly, it seemed, quickly becoming a favorite of the assassins. Especially the females.

Speaking of females, Najenda wondered how Chelsea, Leone, Akame, Mine, and Susanoo were getting along.

Not counting Susanoo as a female, of course. He was about as manly as manly could get.

**!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!**

Alyssa was struggling, but was nowhere near helpless. The last few stragglers approached her but were cut down easily with a few combos comprised of slashes and stabs from a rapier, having switched out the double-barrel for the regal, nimble-bladed weapon. With a quick, downwards flipping motion, she cleansed her sword of the blood. Turning, she greeted Lubbock with a small, exhausted smile.

"Whew! Lubba, stamina-fighting's not my forte," she cheerfully declared. Her demeanor changed as soon as her eyes settled on Lubbock's skittish and pained eyes. The tactician trembled; his brow furrowed in confusion as to how to tell her that yet another of her beloved was dead. With a sigh of regret and sorrow that the task of informing her had fallen to him, he swallowed his doubts and opened his mouth to speak. She beat him to the punch, however.

"Lubbock? What's up?" Alyssa inquired, tilting her head while 'sheathing' her _teigu-_formed rapier. She tucked Ammodorer into her pocket with a flourish, then sat down. She gently patted the clean grass next to her, beckoning for him to rest. He did as motioned, though his body's movements lost all of its natural confidence. After sitting down with an audible _thunk, _he slumped his shoulders so that his head rested on his knees.

"Tell me, Lubbock! You'll kill me with worry!" she jokingly laughed, with a gentle poke to the perverted strategist's rib cage. Alyssa withdrew her finger and was becoming worried now. "Lubba?"

Lubbock looked up; grief riddling his eyes. "Would you rather be killed by sorrow or worry?"

"Huh?"

"Answer me…"

"Uh… sorrow, I guess. Why?"

"Alyssa… I have no way to say this lightly, and I'm truly sorry for my bluntness. But…" Lubbock paused, stifling a shudder. He continued. "... D-Deidre and Kory… have passed. They're no more." Lubbock knew Kory hadn't technically died when he was with the healer, but the poison was in its final stages, and it was safe to assume Kory was long gone by now.

"..."

"I'm… I'm very sorry."

Alyssa stood up. "If this is a joke, Lubbock, you're one hell of an actor." Her back was to him; her facial expression was unreadable. However, he could tell that she was greatly disturbed by the thought.

"I can show you, Al. I'm not acting, I swear to god." Lubbock got up and decided that a risky move usually had the best rewards. Hanging around Leone taught him an abundant amount of knowing when to take risks, and knowing when to stay in the safe zone. Lubbock mentally crossed his fingers as he moved towards Alyssa.

Alyssa had removed her glasses and began to cry, softly. He removed his trench coat and draped it around her shoulders, making her stiffen in surprise. "Allie, I know full well what it means to lose comrades. When I served Najenda-san, I had so many friends follow me into basic training. Did you, Al?"

"No."

Lubbock sighed. He looked up towards the sky, as if increasing gravity's pull on his tear ducts would have any effect in stopping his emotional water that would inevitably flow out very soon. "I did. There were fifteen close to me… and five died during basic. Two more died on our first skirmish with the Revolutionary Army. Five died in our next battle. Two of my best friends we assassinated on a mission with just the three of us. My last friend, whose name was Anna, pledged that she'd live longer than I would. And we kept it for the longest time…" Lubbock paused again to gather his thoughts. "... until one day, we ran into a tribe of advanced primal warriors. They wiped out half our squadron and killed Anna…!" Lubbock hissed as he wiped a tear from his eye. "... those bastards were eventually defeated, but for every man they had, three fell on our side. I still have Anna's sword to this day… battered and well-used, but full of memories. The leather hilt had long since faded, and the blade dulled, but one day, I'll sharpen it to its greatest potential and slay a village of tribesmen with it, as tribute to my deceased best friend." He looked up and the sky and silently began to leak tears as the memories flooded back to him, biting his heart in remembrance.

Alyssa temporarily stopped sniffling. "Lubbock… that's horrible. All I lost were Ben, Brax, and Coop. No one else mattered…" She put a hand on his shoulder. "How'd you do it?"

He smiled. "If I think of Najenda-san, I can get through anything. Anything," he repeated for extra emphasis.

"I admire that. Lubba… can you take me to Kors and Dei? I want to see them…"

"Y-yeah, sure."

**!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/**

"Hiya! How'd it g- oh! I see you found your _teigu,_ Juuey!" Leone bubbled, slapping him on the back. Juu coughed.

"Ah, it went badly for the first- lots of tries," Juu said after correcting himself. "I found Shamshir, and it accepted me, so I finally have an Arms."

"Well, that's great, Juu," Akame stated dully. She meant it, however; that's not what Juu got from her vibe. He thought she was salty from their match.

"T-thanks, Akame-san."

Mine got bored of the talk of a weapon. "Should we be worried that Alyssa, Sayo, Ieyasu, and Lubba haven't come back yet? It's been almost two days," she said while glancing out at the setting sun.

"Subtle change, Land Mine…" Tatsumi mumbled. She glared at him but said nothing.

"Mine, normally you'd chase me around smacking me with whatever you could hold," Tatsumi said. "What the hell is wrong with you as of late? You sick?"

"No, you bastard. But if it's a chase you want…" Mine growled as she emptied the frying pan of eggs onto Chelsea's plate and stood up menacingly. "... I can sure as hell give you one!" Mine launched herself at Tatsumi, who took off running towards his room.

Najenda closed one of her eyes halfway and shook her head. "Those two, I swear, if Tatsumi wasn't with Sayo, he'd date Mine in a flash."

"Somehow, boss, that idea doesn't seem foreign for some reason…" Leone muttered.

"I feel the same way," Akame added, swiping a forkful of scrambled eggs off of Chelsea's plate. Chelsea squealed and shoveled the rest the eggs into her mouth, pouting that Akame stole her precious food. Meat is to Akame as eggs are to Chelsea, the Night Raiders found out these few days she'd been here. Susanoo was busy almost every mealtime trying to keep up with the excessive amount of eggs and the massive platters of meat.

"Ow!" Tatsumi proclaimed as he was hit on the head with the frying pan. "At least use something softer!"

"... ugh. I need to go lie down," Najenda said. "I've been unable to sleep well recently," the Night Raid leader stated.

Leone had a list of suggestions on hand. "Neck sore?"

"No."

"Shoulders?"

"Nope."

"Legs sore?"

"No."

"Menstrual cycle?" Akame submitted, earning her several stares from Leone and Chelsea.

"That ended in my latter years of serving the Capitol," Najenda replied, as if she'd expected it.

"Uh… okay. Back pain?"

"No."

Chelsea glanced over at Tatsumi and Mine chasing each other around. Whispering, she spoke to Najenda. "Weight?"

The silver-haired woman blushed. "Maybe."

"As of now, boss, we're putting you on a diet! 100 calories an hour, no more!" Leone cheerfully stated. "Right now!"

"What about yourself, Leone?" Najenda smirked, trying to avoid herself as the main focus of attention.

"Oh, I just laze around in my beast form, so my metabolism speeds up greatly," Leone laughed as she punched Najenda's shoulder. "Guess you're plumb outta luck, boss."

"Damn." Najenda slumped into a chair, defeated by her good friend Leone.

**!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/**

**AN: You'll see why I introduced Deidre and killed her and her brother so quickly in the next chapter. Don't worry, I have a plan and I think it'll make the story better in the long run- emotionally and critically. **

**By the by, "Pielchon" was taken from my Tae Kwon Do. It literally means, "Eighth pattern" or "Eighth form." It just sounds cool. Iliajarhn is taken from "Iljarhn" which means "first pattern/form" **

**As for me, I'm balancing Fire Emblem and Smash Bros with writing, so I have a lot on my plate. *time to tip the scales!* Please be patient, as it's my life and I do whatever the fuck I WANT! … sorry, I couldn't resist. ;) Love ya!**

**I thank you for your continued support and hope you continue to show it in the chapters for come. As always, thansk for reading and reviewing, and I'll see you in the next chapter!**

**The Slain Executioner, slashing out. **


	13. The Exposition of Rika, Devvon & Lubbock

**AN: Sorry for the long wait! I've been kind of busy... I'm preparing for PSEO and I have a somewhat-active social life. :P Not to mention, different ideas for stories are swirling around in my head and I'm thinking on them, because I want to branch out slightly.**

**Important note at the bottom! Hear me out!**

**Here's chapter 13 of Sayo and Ieyasu: Killers of Fate. Enjoy!**

**!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!**

So alone. So afraid. So helpless. Guilt…

Ieyasu trembled beneath the bed as he viewed the last signs of life dribble from Kory's eyes.

"Why… why couldn't I help him?" Ieyasu groaned through clenched teeth. "I'm not strong enough… I need to strengthen…!"

Sayo, who had woken up from all the commotion, hissed at him, spittle flying from her mouth. She smacked the floor with her fist, making him jump in surprise. "Ieyasu, shut up. You're less injured than I am, and you didn't have a _teigu," _she spat. "In conclusion, you're an able warrior who's capable of anything despite not possessing an 'ultimate weapon.'"

Ieyasu stared a hole into the floor. He knew Sayo was right. She'd always been so right when it was just the two of them. Those were the days… Ieyasu missed them terribly. While he loved all of the Night Raider members, he felt a prominent lack of intimacy that he, Sayo, and Tatsumi once shared before they were reunited under the Revolutionary Army's name. His thoughts were broken when he heard an anguished cry of sorrow come from outside the cabin. High-pitched and panicked, he only had one guess as to who it had come from…

Death or no death, Ieyasu was fully shocked at how long Kory had managed to hang on, even with the deadly poison permeating his bloodstream. The man certainly had willpower rivalling Ieyasu's. He muttered a soft acknowledgement and thanks for what he'd done for him and Sayo.

**!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!**

In the end, Rika and Devvon had been assigned to go recruit Aaron. Frim and Steele had stayed behind, mainly due to Frim's incompetence without a large group. Steele was still injured, and was awaiting a prosthetic arm to be attached to him. While the Amsalja leader wasn't too happy about being forced to sit out, he accepted it, as his lasting existence was for the better, opposed to throwing his life away before healed.

The teacher-student duo caught upon a lot of things, involving Rika's life after thinking she killed him and how he recovered. Devvon explained that he shouldn't be alive, however; he stumbled across a magic-using healer which was rare these days, since magic was extremely difficult to master. Throughout the explanation, he mumbled at how ridiculously silly his little sister was. The cleric's younger kin always was so wordy, even at her young age. With the help of the cleric and his little sister, his full combat potential was restored to him, after being crippled for so many years.

Rika went through fits of depression- which were usually broken by her brother's constant pestering to spar. While she liked the distraction, she didn't ever let her mind wander completely from the accident, all these years later. Rika felt she owed Devvon a large debt, in accordance to nearly killing him. However, the good-hearted instructor merely shook his head and laughed.

"Kid, you don't owe me a thing. Just the next time we spar, make sure not to nearly kill me," he said while throwing his head back in a fit of laughter. His smile evolved into a grin and he punched his student's shoulder playfully.

Rika smiled. While her feelings of love faded for him long ago, she couldn't help but feel immensely attached to him in a sense. She gripped his arm. "I've missed you so much."

"Mm? But we've been aware of each other's presence in this group for a week or so!" He objected while slightly squirming at the unpredicted gesture.

"But I've never gotten to spend time with you till now," she mumbled. A wave of sadness struck her out of nowhere; she didn't know where it came from. Devvon wrapped a strong, muscular arm around her slender, yet toned, shoulders.

"You still like me like you did back when we started workin' out?"

Rika twitched in surprise, but quickly gained her cool. "How… what? What?"

He grinned. "Don't play dumb, kid. You're not that skilled of an actor to fool me," he laughed.

Rika sighed. "Well, then… then yes, I used to, but now I realize it would be fruitless to continue liking you." She clasped her hands behind her back and shyly kicked at the ground as they continued walking.

"Why's that?" Devvon asked, head cocked slightly in question.

Rika took a deep breath and exhaled. "Because through all this, you've been my brother. Blood doesn't dictate it... love does. You're my older brother I never had, since Ruvik was younger than I was. I look up to you in a way that attraction can't come close to, and I don't want it to change at all. Is that okay?"

"..."

"... did I say something wrong?"

Devvon sniffed and wiped a tear from his eye. "That's the most emotional thing anyone's ever told me. My parents were drunkards so I never saw them, but I've told you that a couple times. They probably died. I dedicated myself to not be like them, so I trained all alone. It was so grueling… no one to spur me on, no one to rag on, no one to trust." Devvon paused as his breath hitched in his chest. "Rika, you'll mean more to me than anyone will… my sister."

Rika let go of his arm and merely smiled as she looked up at the man in his mid-twenties. "Bro."

"Sounds nice, doesn't it?"

"Oh, yeah," Rika muttered.

"Look! There's Aaron," Devvon interrupted, killing the mood somewhat which earned him a sigh mixed with a glare from Rika. He pointed to a man a little further into the distance.

It was true. The brunette-haired, round-faced man with a large assault rifle case, similar to the one Pumpkin had, slung over his shoulder stood with his back to them. That secret book of _teigu _helped things a lot in their search.

"So, you want to introduce yourself? Or should I?" Rika asked.

"You. You've got a great fake charm about you," Devvon replied with a grin.

"Hey!" She poked him in the ribs.

Either way, Rika was very nervous. What if he was the kind to blow up if presented with nonsense? It didn't matter. In the time it'd take him to unbind his rifle, he'd be dead. She walked up to him, a friendly glint in her eyes.

"'Scuse me, sir. You got a moment?" Rika tried her best to sound like one of the locals. Apparently, Aaron fell for it as he turned around and glanced at her with a small smile.

"Wha' can I do ya for?"

"_Surprising; an accent," _she told herself. "I'm wondering where the tavern is. Me and my brother are passing through," she explained while gesturing to Devvon to act his part. "And we were curious as to where it's located."

"Bein' honest, folks, I'm just as clueless as you are. I live on the far outskirts of the Cap'tol, so I don't know these parts 'round here that good," he replied, a guilty look on his face. Changing his expression, he twisted his mouth into a lopsided smile and sympathetically raised his eyebrows.

They clearly didn't expect this. "Well, you wanna wander with us? We can grab a drink if we find it," Devvon suggested with a jerk of his thumb. "I'm thirsty anyway."

"I like yeh people. I'll go with ya," he said with a smile. Hefting the case over his shoulder to adjust the weight, he fell into step beside Rika.

After walking for a few seconds, he turned to Rika and Devvon. "Where ya folks hail from?"

"We're visiting friends in the Capitol, but we're from the northern outskirts," Rika replied, impulsively lying.

"Ah I see. Geez, you folks live awfully close t'where that group of ass-ass-ins hunker down," he muttered. "You folks stayin' safe?"

"A band of assassins?" Rika asked, playing the dumb-girl act. She pulled it off nicely, as she noticed Devvon raise an eyebrow with her convincing attitude.

"Yah, I hear they call themselves Night Raid. Dang'rous group, see. They've all got _teigu, _like mine right here," he explained, patting the case a couple times before beaming proudly. He wasn't in the know of that the duo was already perfectly aware of this.

"_Teigu? _I've heard stories of those, but are they real?" Rika asked, playing the dumb-girl act out even more thoroughly.

Devvon was relieved that he left his scythe at HQ. All he had was a set of two short-swords that he could dual wield very well. Surprisingly, when paired with his aerial maneuverability, he was impossibly hard to take down. Rika informed him that his ground speed wasn't so hot, so she forced him to take up endurance and sprinting. Within a few months, his speed had changed drastically.

"Real as rain," Aaron replied with a grin. "N'fact, this rifle I got here is a good example. Here, follow me into this field. No'ne should see this or else they'll jump me," he chuckled. "'Nd while I'd have no trouble dispatching 'em, I hate killing. Rather avoid it if I could."

Rika glanced at Devvon. "_This the greatest call by Tempestt?" _she thought to herself.

Devvon shrugged, unsure. That, and he had no idea what Rika was glancing at him about.

With a flourish, he slowly withdrew the gleaming rifle from its case. The moonlight reflected off the full, ample moon and forced Rika to squint slightly. "This here's the _Imperial Arms Horizon Smoke: Paixhans. _It's got a huge boom for a shot, like firing a grenade, only a few hundreds times more powr'ful!. This gun here can fire off a flaming ball, a spread-shot, and various forms of energy blasts," Aaron exclaimed with a laugh. "The gun's rock-solid, so I can use it to block almost an'thing, see," he said as he continued to explain. The gun looked very much akin to a long, curved-edged, rectangular object with a large hole protruding from the end. The weapon seemed more akin to a club with a gun barrel, signaling that Aaron was indeed physically strong.

"Wooow, that's so cool!" Rika exclaimed, keeping her acting part up. She felt silly, out of place, and exposed, but some jobs required the uncomfortable situations to become a routine, happening over and over again. Hopefully, they'd recruit Aaron quickly and drop the act before anything else embarrassing happened to either of them.

Devvon sized Aaron up. Strong, muscled arms in a slim-fit leather jacket with plenty of zippers that he could only assume held a spectacular specimen of abs. Powerful legs in beige khakis. Steel-toed boots for maximum damage output. Floppy, chocolate brown hair that drooped in front of his eyes that he brushed away constantly. Piercing grey eyes. A scar running up cheek over his eye in the shape of a blade. If Devvon didn't know better, he'd assume Aaron was just another delinquent, with nothing to offer other than the occasional sharp tongue and ample numbers in backup. However, his middling speed left him concerned if presented with a group of quick assassins. The steel-toed boots gave his lack of speed away, as they appeared heavy.

"Ain't it?" Aaron replied, smiling as he recased Paixhans.

"I never got you folks' names," he continued. "What're they?"

"My names' Devvon," the scythe-wielding being of nighttime proudly stated.

"Rika," the _teigu_-less warrior simply said as she shook his hand.

The gunman gestured back towards the town. "So, wanna grab a drink or tw-"

Aaron's words were cut off with a chakram whistling dangerously close to his ear. He dodged it, but his friendly demeanor vanished. "Where'd it come from," he stated.

A young man with disarrayed, long sandy-blonde hair and baby-blue eyes was hovering in the air on teal-colored blades of wind. The wind was as sharp as the blade he held in his hands; the Moonlight Sword: Shamshir. His gaze pierced the three of them, forcing them to feel exposed and unbalanced.

Devvon unsheathed his swords in one, fluid motion, and leaped into the air, blades pointed straight at their assailant. With a twist of his wrist, Juu brought the sword up and flicked a weak, cutting edge of wind towards him. Devvon was forced to dodge as the bladed wind whizzed by his stomach, dangerously close. Gracefully, he fell to the ground and backflipped over to regroup with the other two.

Juu set himself down, and pointed the tip of Shamshir skyward. "Three on one may seem foolish, but class is now in session. What's my _teigu?" _he mockingly asked, opening his eyes in mock attention. He pointed at Aaron with a finger, dripping sarcasm. "How about you? Do YOU know what this is?"

"Nothin' mah Paixhans can't oblit'rate ya with!" With a crouching/spinning motion, Aaron withdrew his _teigu _and fired a fireball at Juu. Pointing the tip of his blade towards the fireball, he created a small tornado at the end of his weapon. It increased in size as the fireball approached it. With precise timing, Juu whipped the tornado at the fireball and a huge, smoke-filled explosion rocked the air. The smoke blinded Aaron, Devvon, and Rika momentarily.

"Tatsumi! Now!" Juu yelled, motioning for his comrade to take over. Juu launched himself into the sky, staying hidden in plain sight above Night Raid's opposition.

"_A presence!" _Aaron thought, whipping around and slugging an invisible being in the chest with his gun. The air Aaron had smacked distorted, then gave way to reveal a suit of armor with glowing yellow eyes.

"Ugh," Tatsumi muttered. "Incursio, let's take things up a notch!" he yelled, launching himself at Devvon then disappearing. Under the cover of invisibility, he swept around Devvon and returned to Aaron, punching him in the solar plexus. Aaron flew back and thumped against a tree, blood trickling from his mouth. While Tatsumi hated to fight an opponent while transparent, it was necessary to complete the mission assigned to him.

"Kh!"

"It's… the Moonlight Sword: Shamshir, you shitty assassin," Rika growled in response to Juu's question. "Come out from your perch wherever you are, and face me like a real warrior!"

"Who said I had to be a warrior, little girl?" Juu laughed. His demeanor changed whenever killing was presented to him. Instead of his normal, quiet self, he temporarily became sadistic, sarcastic, and ruthless. After saying these words, he launched himself at Rika, shooting out three beams of wind to apply pressure on her. "Only the thieves and scoundrels survive in a war! Nyaahaha!"

Rika dodged the bladed air, knowing Juu launched them only to taunt her. She jumped into the air, prepared to strike at him with her rifle. One hand on her sword, she readied a quick draw.

Juu saw this coming, and shot his prosthetic leg into the sky. With a looping motion of his body, he brought the metal leg from the extension down on Rika's rifle arm as hard as he could forcing her to drop her ranged method of attacking.

"Khhst!" Rika hissed, refusing to cry out in pain. She glared up at the sky, hatred in her eyes. Juu settled onto the ground and merely smiled. He pointed his sword at her, craziness filling his own.

"How'd you like to die, girlie? A sword through the neck? A chakram to the face? A missile to the chest?"

"A missile?" Rika asked, unaware of Juu's incredible mixed arsenal.

"A missile it is, then," Juu laughed, spittle flying from his mouth. He spun around and released homing missiles that chased after their target. Rika eyed the missiles and darted off towards the area where Devvon and Aaron were struggling against Tatsumi, who had taken little to no damage at all.

She swiftly ran in between Devvon and Aaron, motioning them to step back with her good arm. They did, and watched as the invisible Incursio was blasted out of the transparency with two missiles straight to the chest. Tatsumi flew back and landed on his knee. "Watch it, Juu!"

"My bad, Tatsumi! I didn't expect her to be this much of a _bitch!" _he laughed while accenting the cussword. "Anyway, let's be done with her and kill the lot. They may even provide useful stuff for me…" Juu chuckled as he pulled out a knife. He licked the flat edge of it, making eye contact with Rika for a second.

"You're sick."

"Am I now? At least I'm not dead, like you'll be very shortly," Juu wailed, laughter escaping his lips like a waterfall's liquid cascading onto the rocks with an icy roar.

Aaron took the moment of opportunity to stick the barrel of Paixhans into the earthen soil and fire repeatedly. Everyone's eyes became permeated with the fine soil and dust, except for Aaron's, as he was at the center of the explosion. Tatsumi and Juu shielded their eyes from the rush of fine sand. The newly-found comrade grabbed Devvon and Rika, hoisted them on his strong shoulders, and ran off as fast as he possibly could.

When the smoke cleared, Juu looked around and sighed. "Damn, Tatsumi. They got away! We were so close to getting them too…" he muttered, demeanor back to normal now that no death could happen. "Damn! I could have blown the wind away!"

Tatsumi smiled to Incursio and silently thanked the beast living inside his armor. With a sigh, he let the demon armor fade away. He turned to Juu and scrunched up a corner of his mouth in thought. "Juu, you gotta get a hold of your emotions on the battlefield," Tatsumi ordered. "It's not safe for you to be out of control like that. Also, you couldn't have activated the wind without getting out your sword, and that's hard to do with a sandstorm in your face."

"True about the sandstorm. Aw, but it's fun. What good is a job if you don't have fun?" Juu replied. "After all, it's not like I had a choice but to go into assassin-business. Akame-san sorta dragged me into this," he sheepishly muttered.

"You've got a point. Come to think of it, that's how I began Night Raid," Tatsumi said, memories taking him back. "Neesan pretty much forced me to be an assassin, or else I'd be working in a warehouse somewhere," Tatsumi laughed.

"Good thing you accepted," Juu stated, smiling at his mentor.

"Yeah, it's a super good thing," Tatsumi smiled, placing his hands on his hips and looking up towards the moon. "Change of topic, that blade is really something in the moonlight."

Juu unsheathed the special katana and looked at it admiringly. "I really feel an attachment. I'm really feeling it," he repeated. "It's so strong under the full moon, so I won't be of much help outside of the nighttime," he muttered.

"Hey, you've got the most mixed combat experience out of all of us, except maybe Najenda," Tatsumi said encouragingly. "Just keep up with us and you'll pull your own weight and more, I promise."

"All righty," Juu replied, nodding his head and smiling at his instructor. "Can we go back? I'm thirsty," he continued, fake-rasping his voice on the last syllable.

"Why not just grab a drink at the tavern a couple blocks away?" Tatsumi suggested. If Rika, Devvon, and Aaron had kept walking, they'd have reached the safehaven.

"But I've never tried liquor..." Juu hesitantly said.

"Well, there's always a first. C'mon! Let's go have some fun. Najenda said nothing about enjoying the night now, did she?" Tatsumi chuckled with a wink. "Maybe you'll even stumble upon someone who'll... treat you."

"Mmmm…. Nope, she didn't." Juu sighed in defeat, knowing Tatsumi would be unmoving until he agreed with the brown-haired warrior. Juu chose to ignore the last part of Tatsumi's statement.

"Let's get you all nice and dru- I mean, experienced," Tatsumi said, quickly correcting himself.

Juu just glared at him with angry eyes, before the innocent kindness returned to them, albeit gradually.

**!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!**

Several miles away, Aaron dropped Devvon and Rika onto the ground with a thud. Their vision still had not yet returned to them, as the dirt flying around from Aaron's escape technique had left them both blinded for a long time. He guided them to a stream and gently helped them wash their eyes of the dirt. While the visionary orbs stung and were swollen, there was no lasting damage to either of them.

"Thanks for saving our asses back there," Devvon said, relief flooding his voice.

Aaron was silent. Something was clearly troubling the newly made friend.

"What's up, Aaron?" Rika asked. "You hurt?"

"Why'd ya lie, Rika?" Aaron mumbled.

"Huh?" Too quickly, Rika realized what she'd done. Earlier, she'd admitted to not knowing about the Imperial Arms. Just a second ago in the heat of battle with Night Raid, she'd known what the Moonlight Sword: Shamshir was. She wiped her eyes and sighed.

"Aaron, before I answer your question, please answer mine," she softly said, personality-acting gone.

"Fine. I'll hear ya out."

"Why'd you come to the Capitol?"

"I wanted to join the Imperial Military. I reckoned I'd be kinda useful there," he replied, still unsure about what to think of Rika. His grip stayed taut on his _teigu. _

Rika stole a glance at Devvon, as if asking for his approval. This time, Devvon knew exactly what she was asking with her eyes, and he replied with a small smile and a thumbs-up. He looked like a stoner with his bloodshot eyes and scratches on his cheeks.

"Aaron… I can't find a way to beat around the bush, so I'm just going to tell you," Rika nervously said. Whenever put on the spot when vital information was about to be uncovered, she choked up. "You said you knew Night Raid, right?"

"Yep," came the curt reply.

"We- Devvon and I, along with a few others- function similarly to Night Raid," Rika stated.

Aaron's hand impulsively went to Paixhans' trigger.

"I liked you folks."

"Hold! Please hear me out!" Rika pleaded, desire to live present in her eyes.

Devvon said nothing. He stood there ramrod straight, unsure how to react to a huge gun pointed at him. He was prepared to accept the consequences for lying wholeheartedly, even if that meant his career to eliminate evil in Night Raid and the Capitol ended early.

**!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!**

Sayo, while weak, forced herself to stand. Her injuries prevented her from walking normally, forcing her to limp and plod outside. She saw Alyssa, the newest member of Night Raid, on her knees by the body of Deidre. Lubbock sat on the ground, lips quivering, struggling to withhold his tears for reasons unknown to Alyssa, for she was the one who had lost a friend. Alyssa, on the other hand, cried tears of hot sadness onto the cold corpse of her longtime friend, violently shaking. A few minutes passed. In a spurt of boldness, Lubbock reached over and gently placed a hand on Alyssa's shoulder, making her jump in surprise. She stiffened at his touch, making him flinch mentally.

"Alyssa…" Lubbock began, not knowing where to go after this. "... Deidre told me to give you this." Lubbock handed her the book that the colorful friend of hers gave to him before passing on. Alyssa snatched it from his hands, and began to cry once again, sobbing into the pages.

He'd fully expected words to come flowing out of her mouth when she grieved. Then again, he hadn't known her that long. He fully knew her pain too well, which is why his heart was emotionally distraught. The memories of his comrades dying in front of him rushed back to his mind too quickly and all at once for him to comprehend. But if Alyssa needed someone to remain strong around her in her time of need, he'd stay there.

For she was now one of them, a witness to terrible things, but also a victim to terrible things- both caused by their own hands. This was an assassin. A witness, a victim, and a world-changer. There wasn't room for grief just yet. He had to get Ieyasu, Sayo, and Alyssa back to HQ so the former two could recuperate, Alyssa to heal, and himself to gather his thoughts.

He turned her around with one hand, forcing her to look through her glasses into his green eyes, a fire beginning to ignite as he spoke. "Alyssa! There's no time for emotions just yet. We gotta get back to HQ and be safe!" She looked away as he said the words. Lubbock glanced at the peaceful expression of Deidre and the contented one of Kory. "Alyssa… I'll help you give them a proper burial." Alyssa nodded, wiping her eyes.

In an hour, Lubbock had two crudely-made holes and had gently lowered the two bodies into them. He began to fill the holes as Sayo and Ieyasu stood and watched, with Sayo wrapping an arm around Alyssa's shoulders. Ieyasu, thanks to Kory's spell, had healed miraculously. His burns were still evident, but his strength had returned and looked strong, scars and all. Sayo, with her injuries being much more severe, had lost a lot of strength, but she could stand and walk slowly.

Just before Lubbock finished burying Deidre, Alyssa rushed up to him and placed the other book down on her chest. "I… think I'll cope better if I can't see this." Lubbock nodded, and finished burying the enigmatic girl.

"You'll be all right, Alyssa. You've got all of us now. All of our crazy asses back at HQ," Lubbock whispered lightly. She giggled regretfully, despite the situation.

"I know, Lubba," she whispered back. "I know."

Awkward silence.

"Alyssa…" Lubbock began, once again unsure of where to take this.

"Yes?"

"Do you… like hugs?" the tactician asked hesitantly, hoping to comfort her more. There were no feelings of attraction in his mind, but Alyssa began to develop a small crush at these words.

"Y-yeah, I do. Thanks…" Alyssa softly said.

Lubbock wrapped his strong, lean arms around Alyssa's frame. She embraced the feeling of safeness she felt in someone's arms- whom she trusted.

"Why did it hurt so much, Lubbock? I've seen so many die," Alyssa muttered, tears threatening her eyes.

"Because it was real, Allie. It was genuine. You had a real friendship with her. The others you killed? You didn't feel anything for them. Again, I'll say it. It was real. Alyssa, which hurts more? A practice sword or a real sword?"

"A real sword," Alyssa replied, unsure of what the strategian was getting at.

"Because it's real. It hurts more because it's real. You loved her with a fierce realness, so of course it'd be sharp, piercing, and intense when you lose it. It remind you that you're alive, and the intensity of the world and our situation presses us on to live. This is why we fight as assassins… of the people, Alyssa. So they don't have to feel what we-" Lubbock's breath hitched and he could no longer remain strong. He sobbed in between words. "So they- don't have to feel what we have to feel," he sputtered. "I won't watch any of you die in Night Raid. Not one of you. I'll go before anyone else, no matter how new they are," he stated shakily.

"Your conviction rivals mine, Lubba," Ieyasu stated with a big grin and a thumbs-up. "No one could have gone what you went through and come out so well! Not even Tatsumi, myself, or Sayo!" he stated boldly whilst shouting.

Sayo nodded in agreement and turned slightly so she was looking at Lubbock with her left eye. "He's right, you know. You're a very strong man and whoever you end up with romantically will be lucky to have your unbending rock of strength by her side," she said with a smile. "You got it Lubba. Don't leave us now. We still need a tactical brain in the HQ," she said with a chuckle.

Alyssa stepped back and looked at Lubbock with tears and appreciation in her grieving eyes. "They're both right, Lubbock. Thank you so much for being there for me when I needed you the most, even when it was paining you. Thank you… so much."

The four remained silent, enjoying each other's company. Without another word, they turned and began walking in the direction of where they came from.

It was time to return to HQ and report what had happened.

**!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!/!**

**AN: So this chapter is shorter because I fear that I won't be able to get chapters out as quick as I once did, so chapters will be halved in length (or so.) Please expect two weeks in between chapters, because I have school and other things I want to work on. Other than that, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! :)**

**The Slain Executioner, slashing out.**


	14. I'm sorry

This is a very important update surrounding the premise of my primary story, Sayo and Ieyasu: Killers of Fate.

Hey, fellow readers and fans whom I am very, very grateful for. This is a chapter that ultimately decides the fate of this story. (Pun intended.) I've really, really, felt that I've deviated from the original storyline a ton, making me want to change everything. But to do all of that, I'd have to cut out _all of the Jaegers, Amsaljas, and other outside characters that are not in Night Raid. _I may even have to cut Juu as well. I've grown attached to Alyssa since I wrote her a lot recently, making me want to keep her around. But ever since I introduced Juu, I think that I have lost control of this story immensely.

I still love this story and the concept that I made; I really do. I love writing Sayo; I love writing Ieyasu. But I just can't see myself writing this scattered, disorganized story any more. So I'm going to scrap everything after chapter 3 and start anew. However, some things will be the same, but many things will leave because they cluttered my story previously.

So I hope you think this is an okay decision, and I hope you join me in the revamping. Once I finish the revamped story, I'll post a separate link just in case you still want to read the part I have posted now.

Here's a list of what I'm keeping in the story and what I'm not keeping.

Here to stay

Ieyasu

Sayo

Alyssa  
Excision of the Holy Ones (Sayo's teigu) Will reappear after revamping. (In other words she won't stumble upon it so easily.)

Sayo and Ieyasu's elemental powers

Game Over: Ammoderer (Alyssa's teigu)

All the Night Raiders

Jaegers (Will no longer be main characters.)

A character who can use magic. Maybe I'll change the character Juu _was _into a physically-weak, mentally-strong magic user who teaches Sayo tactics and crap.)

A MORE-THOROUGH EXPLANATION FOR LUBORA POWERS

(If I'm missing anything vital tell me.)

Gettin' cut:  
Amsaljas (All of them)

Plot surrounding the Amsaljas

Everything after chapter 3 unless specified. (Yeah! Seryuu stays longer! No? Well, that's my decision. A unique character is a good one.)

Deidre

Kory

Basically, I'm gonna set this on loooong hiatus, plan out the chapters, and write them out. My goal, now that I know what I'm gonna do, is 100k words. I have a storyline planned out and I think you guys are gonna like it a lot. Well, that's all I have to say!

Thanks so much for staying with me so long. Again, I apologize for dropping this bomb on you so suddenly. I'll see you in the revamped chapter! Bye!

~The Slain Executioner


End file.
